more-in The Corporation of Madurai has proposed to build urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in eight locations and earmarked a sum of ?2 crore to carry out works in the first phase. With the Corporation’s area enhanced to 100 wards, the urban PHCs would come up at Vandiyur, Chinthamani, Tirunagar, Viratipathu, Karisalkulam, Tiruppalai, Mastanpatti and Solai Alagupuram. While the estimated cost for building each PHC has been worked out to be ?60 lakh, the Corporation has allotted ?25 lakh each for the eight PHCs in the first phase. More funds would be released as the work progressed, officials said and added that in all probability the actual work would begin in about a month or two as estimates had to be prepared and tenders placed. The decision was taken at a special meeting chaired by Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri, who is also the Special Officer for the Corporation. Health officials said that the objective of building PHCs in different locations was to reduce the crowd visiting Government Rajaji Hospital. The new PHCs would not just be modern, but would also have all the basic infrastructure. Round-the-clock availability of trained nursing staff and duty doctors would be there. Sanctioned under the National Urban Health Mission, the new PHCs would be a first of their kind in the Madurai Corporation. Till now, the Corporation does not have a centre to provide comprehensive health care under one roof. There are 47 centres now, which function as dispensaries, maternity homes and urban health posts. For example, dispensaries screen patients and dispense medicines and maternity homes take care of child birth and related ailments. But the UPHCs will provide treatment for all ailments. As per 2014 statistics, the city had 15.5 lakh population. Thus, for every 50000 people one UPHC has been planned to be established. In the first phase, the Corporation will build eight UPHCs. Hospitals functioning in community centres would be upgraded in due course. The health officials also said that in a city not everyone could afford to go to private clinics or hospitals. Thus, the urban PHCs would come in handy as they would not only be on a par with any private hospital but also have trained nurses and specialist doctors. The new concept of having UPHCs was welcome by government doctors in the GRH as they said it would help in a substantial way to reduce the number of outpatients coming to them. With the city having expanded, the corporation’s move to have UPHCs in far away locations like Tirunagar and Mastanpatti would be a boon to residents.

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