Nod for action plan to upgrade health centres

Thiruvananthapuram: The city corporation council on Tuesday approved the action plan worth Rs 18 crore to upgrade 29 health centres under the civic body.
As part of the action plan, the corporation will recruit 32 doctors, 49 nurses, 29 pharmacists and required number of lab technicians, cleaning staff and provide necessary medical equipment, sanitation facilities and other amenities.

With the additional appointment of doctors and nurses, the corporation will spend around Rs 4 crore annually as remuneration. Palliative nurses will also be recruited for the purpose.
At present, the civic body runs two taluk hospitals, 10 primary health centres, 14 urban health centres, two community health centres and one clinic. In addition to this, 12 ayurveda hospitals, one siddha hospital and 14 homeo hospitals function under the administration of the city corporation.
According to the action plan, upgradation of facilities in the corporation’s health centres will make healthcare more accessible and would ensure early intervention to counter lifestyle diseases.
With the current infrastructure, corporation offers OP facility to an average of 3,500 patients daily. In many places, the service is either available only at noon or in the morning. This deprives the marginalized community of medical care.
The action plan notes that such a situation happens due to lack of full time service facility, dearth of manpower and infrastructure and lack of adequate number of health facilities in proximity to the residences of marginalized communities.