The government will strengthen the State’s public health system further to fight COVID-19, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
The State has already made a huge leap in infrastructure development in public sector hospitals as well as in augmenting human resources in health. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke in Kerala, the government has through the National Health Mission, appointed 9,768 health workers. About 1,200 house surgeons and 1,152 ad hoc employees have also been deployed for COVID containment activities.
If required, more people will be deployed in the health sector in the next 100 days to fight the pandemic, Mr. Vijayan said, during his news conference called on the eve of Thiruvonam, to reveal the LDF government’s projects for the next 100 days.
The functioning of COVID first-line treatment centres would be made more efficient and the number of COVID tests being conducted in the State would be increased to 50,000 daily, he added.
Mr. Vijayan said that as part of the Aardram Mission, envisaged to strengthen primary care delivery in the public sector and to make the government hospitals more people-friendly, 386 primary health centres have already been converted to family health centres (FHC) , which are functioning well.
In the next 100 days, another 153 FHC would be inaugurated. The FHCs will have OP clinics in the morning and evening.
He said that 24 new buildings would be constructed for the various government hospitals in the State. Ten new dialysis centres, nine new scanning centres, three Cath labs and two modern cancer treatment facilities are in the offing, Mr. Vijayan added.
