CHENNAI: Even as the Greater Chennai Corporation commenced the process to set up health and wellness centres across the city, the councillors have been asked to identify suitable locations to set up the clinics.

State health minister Ma Subramanian and Hindu religious and Endowment charities minister P K Sekar Babu headed a meeting with the councillors at the Ripon Building, on Friday, to discuss the implementation of the project. "The health and wellness centres will come up at crowded places like markets, slum areas, bus stands and others. Already, 140 locations have been shortlisted, " Ma Subramanian said.

He added that each of the 200 wards in the city will have one health and wellness centre. In total, as many as 708 wellness centres will come up across the state at Rs. 180 Crore. The project was announced in the state assembly by chief minister MK Stalin.

Subramanian also promised to give priority to the doctors, who were manning Amma clinics and Covid-19 works, while filling the new posts created at the wellness centres.

"The health and wellness centres will reduce unwanted waiting at the major government hospitals, as minor illnesses will be treated at the centres. The centres will function from 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm, " he said.

It may be noted that the civic body already floated tenders to set up 140 wellness centres to bring them to operation before the end of the current financial year and the remaining centres will be readied next year.

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