CHENNAI: A ‘Walk in One-Stop Centre for Tuberculosis’ treatment has been set up at a cost of Rs 20 crore at the Upgraded Government Primary Health Centre in Kollumedu, Villivakkam, on Sunday.
The centre will have digital x-ray and other new facilities to provide diagnostic facilities and treatment under one roof.
The scheme was launched to reach the target of a TB-free Tamil Nadu. The PHC will have TB detection tests, medicines for treatment and first-aid kits in a single place. Minister of Handloom and Textiles R Gandhi inaugurated the centre in the presence of Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday.
The State Health Department has provided 48 digital X-ray vehicles across all hilly and rural villages to test people for TB, as a part of early detection measures. Out of these, 23 vehicles were inaugurated by Chief Minister Stalin on July 1, 2023.
The government is also providing financial assistance Rs 500/month to TB patients, (Rs 16 crore expenditure till date). The minister said that most of the 86,000 TB patients in Tamil Nadu were given a food box worth Rs 1,500, which consists of protein-rich foods, which were distributed by volunteers.
“The State government is also taking steps to improve TB detection and treatment facilities. As a part of these measures, the government has procured Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAT) equipment for Rs 10 crore and it’s being used in Tiruchy. We hope that the new scheme of One-Stop Centre for TB treatment will help to improve the detection and treatment of TB in the State,” said Subramanian.