The Health department in Kerala is launching people’s health centres across the State on May 18 to offer decentralised and affordable care at the local level.
Part of the Left Democratic Front government’s 100-day action plan, this is being implemented under the Ardram Mission. Sources told The Hindu on Tuesday that 5,409 such facilities would come up in all wards of local bodies in districts. The ward-level health sub-centres currently functioning under each primary health centre would be developed, as people’s health centres or new structures would be set up there in the next three years.
“The sub-centres are conducting only fixed day sessions on immunisation for kids or awareness events for pregnant women now. They have a junior health inspector and a junior public health nurse as staff apart from local-level Accredited Social Health Activists. The new people’s health centres will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, except Sunday. Each centre will additionally get a middle-level service provider (MLSP), who are postgraduates in nursing,” an official said.
The sources said that these centres would offer scheduled sessions on issues such as lifestyle diseases and immunisation for kids from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and other services thereafter. They would provide palliative care services and home care for patients who have undergone medical procedures such as surgery. Sixteen basic lab tests, such as those related to blood sugar, blood pressure, and haemoglobin levels would be available at the lab and essential medicines would be disbursed at the drug store. The MLSPs would be able to consult specialist doctors through phone or b tele-consultation through the e-Sanjeevani platform. The intention is to develop the centres as the “first point-of-healthcare”, the sources added.
The official said that these centres would be managed by local level people’s committees whose members include local body representatives, school teachers, and functionaries of the Integrated Child Development Scheme. There are plans to set up people’s health clubs as well to take up health issues unique to each area. Activities such as special screening camps will be held. Subsequently, the local bodies will be able to devise schemes to address the problems.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will open the Statewide launch of the centres in Thiruvananthapuram.
