The Greater Chennai Corporation will give a makeover to its public health infrastructure to increase the number of beneficiaries by 10%. It runs 140 urban primary health centres (UPHCs), 16 urban community health centres (UCHCs), three emergency obstetric care centres and diagnostic centres.
The measure is expected to reduce the load on the tertiary care facilities of the State government’s Health Department in the city, according to officials.
Currently, the number of patients visiting the Corporation hospitals is more than 15,000 a day. At least 28,000 patients visit primary health centres a day whenever there is an increase in infectious diseases.
Last Sunday, 113 patients visited a Corporation hospital at Mogappair, with most of them reporting cold and flu. Once the infrastructure is improved, the number of such patients is expected to increase at most of the centres for treatment of minor aliments, minor surgical services, treatment of fever cases, TB, dengue, malaria, diagnosis and management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, Caesarean and normal deliveries, newborn care and immunisation of children under five, civic officials said.
T. Nagar resident V.S. Jayaraman said the middle-class residents have started visiting the Corporation’s urban primary health centre on Radhakrishnan Street after the pandemic and demanded better services from the centres. “We came to know about a Corporation primary health centre on Radhakrishnan Road in our neighbourhood only after the pandemic. Residents started visiting the centre for COVID-19 vaccination. The services are good. Treatment is given for free. So residents have started demanding more infrastructure at the centre,” he said.
Ward 99 councillor Parithi Elamsurithi said more than 20,000 poor residents in areas near Nehru Park had been relying on services at a Corporation diagnostic laboratory inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin when he was the Chennai Mayor. “The residents have demanded restoration of diagnostic facilities, including scan, x-ray and blood test infrastructure,” he said.
Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said it was proposed to have 140 health and wellness centres and four modern public health labs across the city. “All the UPHCs will be repaired at a cost of ₹5 crore. We will fill the vacancies at the UPHCs and the UCHCs. The community-based outreach will be strengthened through women health volunteers of Magalir Thittam. We will create awareness among people of the services provided at the UPHCs and at the UCHCs,” he said.
“Efforts are being made to comply with the National Quality Assessment Standards. The quality of services would be monitored. A pool of trainers and mentors are being trained,” said Mr. Bedi.
The Corporation has a well-established health infrastructure, providing comprehensive services such as antenatal and postnatal care, child health care, basic diagnostics and treatment for communicable and non communicable diseases.
The civic body has an exclusive communicable diseases hospital at Tondiarpet, with 360 beds, for control of pandemic and epidemic. It is running six dialysis centres at Tiruvottiyur, Lakshmipuram, Chinnaporur, Perungudi, Nungambakkam and Injambakkam. The civic body is planning to develop dialysis centres in all the 15 zones, officials said.
Evening services to improve
The Corporation will strengthen the services at the UPHCs in the evening.
Currently, doctors of various specialisations provide services for free at the Corporation primary health centres at 140 locations. On Sunday, most of the urban primary health centres are open in the forenoon. The services of the evening clinics are not offered on Sundays at many UPHCs.
Residents have demanded services at the UPHCs on Sunday evening too. However, staff members at the UPHCs said the services could be improved only after recruitment of more doctors, nurses and other professionals.
