Chennai Corporation to give public health infrastructure a makeover

The move is aimed at increasing the number of beneficiaries by 10%, say officials

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 centres,” 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 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.