The working hours of the Urban Primary Health Centre (PHC) near Veeramamunivar Park in Mogappair have been extended up to 8 p.m. on all days, except Sunday. Residents of Mogappair have prised the Greater Chennai Corporation, which maintains the facility, for this move.
The health centre was set up three years ago to put an end to the ordeal of residents who used to travel 8 kilometres to the nearest government hospital in Ambattur for their medical needs.
Except for Sunday, it was functioning between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on all days, with two duty doctors and 13 nurses. Now, for the past one month, post-extension of time, the staff at the centre have been working on two shifts, including in the evening hours, with a duty doctor.
Welcoming the move, V. Ramani, a long-time resident of Mogappair, says, “Most of the general aliments are treated at the centre, helping many poor patients from the neighbourhood. Patients also get free medicine.”
Corporation officials say the Urban Primary Health Care set up at the cost of ₹66.50 lakh was financed from the general funds of the Zone-7 (Ambattur) of Corporation. The facility has a dedicated maternity ward accommodating at least 20 patients at a time, separate rooms for doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, and visitors’ hall on the ground floor. On the first floor, the hospital has an out-patient unit where, on an average, around 50 patients are accommodated at a time.
The PHC was built on a 1,500-sq ft plot in the area falling under 93rd ward of Zone 7, which has a population of around 33,000. Unlike other localities under the limits of Anna Nagar, areas such as Nolambur, Thirumangalam and JJ Nagar have more migrant workers coming from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. For them, the PHC is a major relief. Most of the migrant workers in the neighbourhood live with their families and so need regular medical help. This is one of the major reasons why the PHC has a dedicated maternity ward.
