Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Thursday announced a slew of measures in the Assembly to upgrade government hospitals and boost medical infrastructure. The Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme would be implemented for five more years from January 2022 at a cost of ₹1,248.29 crore.
He said block-level hospitals and urban hospitals would be upgraded and equipment would be given to primary health centres, urban primary health centres and health sub-centres. These centres would be upgraded as health and wellness centres in the next five years with ₹4,280 crore from the 15th Finance Commission.
Mr. Subramanian announced that the ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ scheme would be extended to all village panchayats, town panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations at a total cost of ₹258 crore.
The government would establish central monitoring nursing stations, along with an additional 1,583 oxygen ICU beds, at 35 government medical college hospitals at a total cost of ₹266.73 crore.
Hybrid ICU units would be established at all 25 medical college hospitals and 18 district headquarters hospitals at a total cost of ₹97.49 crore. The government hospitals at Paramakudi, Udumalaipettai, Palani, Hosur, Vedaranyam, Valparai, Thiruthuraipoondi and Poonamallee would be upgraded with additional buildings at at a total cost of ₹72 crore, he said.
Mobile medical units
The government would buy 389 new mobile medical unit vehicles at ₹70 crore to replace the old vehicles. Additional buildings would be created for the six comprehensive emergency obstetrics and newborn care centres at Tindivanam, Tambaram, Srivilliputhur, Gobichettipalayam, Ambasamudram and Tenkasi at a total cost of ₹41.4 crore, and 2,400 health sub-centres in rural areas would be upgraded as health and wellness centres at a cost of ₹35.52 crore.
Equipment and drugs for patients suffering from thalassemia and haemophilia would be provided to 10 government medical college hospitals at a cost of ₹34 crore.
Liquid medical oxygen plants with pipelines would be established at 57 comprehensive emergency obstetrics and newborn care centres at ₹25.8 crore.
Paediatric centres of excellence at the Madurai and Coimbatore government medical college hospitals would be established at a cost of ₹5 crore.
Also, comprehensive poison management centres would be established at the Pollachi and Perambalur district headquarters hospitals as part of the Hub and Spoke model.
