50 mini-clinics in Chennai to begin operations from December 14

CHENNAI: Close to 50 mini-clinics in Chennai across the 15 zones of the Corporation may begin operations from tomorrow. 

Officials said that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will inaugurate the scheme tomorrow from the clinic in Sheik Mestri Street in Royapuram. 

“A total of 47 clinics would begin operations in Chennai from tomorrow and subsequent, they will be expanded based on the need,” said an official. 

CM announced that Tamil Nadu would be having 2000 mini-clinics for attending to minor ailments such as cold, cough and fever, and in the first phase, 630 mini-clinics would operate across the State. 

Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said these clinics would serve as a major load cutter to reduce crowd in government hospitals.

“Once these are opened, people won’t come to big hospitals for minor ailments,” he told The New Indian Express. 

He said that the clinics in Chennai are focused in slum localities and the new structures would improve the access to healthcare for poor people. 

“We saw the benefits of this in the fever camps conducted for Covid. So the mini clinics too must be of help,” he said. 

The clinics will function from 9 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 7 pm and all the clinics will have medical officer (MBBS), staff nurse and a hospital worker. 

After inaugurating one of the clinics in Chennai, the CM is likely to visit another clinic in Vyasarpadi, said officials.

“He could visit Salem on December 16 to inaugurate the clinics there as well,” said officials. 

In phase II, 630 and in phase III, 740 clinics will be opened. Officials said a clinic would be set up for a locality having 50,000 population.