The Union Health Ministry has sanctioned ₹7.8 crore towards the construction of a wellness centre and laboratory in Avadi for beneficiaries of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). A letter was sent by CGHS Additional Deputy Director General G.D. Paliya to the Additional Director, Chennai, on March 24.
This has been a long battle for CGHS beneficiaries from Avadi, which began in 2006, and culminated in the setting up of a dispensary in a building on the Heavy Vehicles Factory premises.
Currently, the dispensary has 17,000 beneficiaries from the localities around Avadi. This includes employees of the Central Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, All India Radio and Central government pensioners from Pattabiram and Tiruvallur.
The CGHS beneficiaries, especially the pensioners’ association, have been demanding a full-fledged polyclinic for the past decade. The association members have been instrumental in the Central government sanctioning funds for the construction of polyclinic. All that was required for the construction was the transfer of land from the Defence Department to the Union Health Ministry.
The recent letter has urged that the expected expenditure for the upcoming financial year may be intimated to the directorate in consultation with the Central Public Works Department to ensure further sanction and release of funds.
