Corpn-run healthcare facilities to get makeover at 3 crore

“Apart from urban primary health centres, community health centres and maternity hospitals will be upgraded,” G Prakash, Chennai Corporation Commissioner said.

He added that the healthcare centres would be provided with new name boards, clean environment and labelling to explain the treatment facilities. “These measures will bring more people to the hospitals run by the civic body. Civic body’s motive is to increase outpatients coming to our hospitals. We are providing all kinds of diagnostic tests in our labs at free of cost.”

Presently, the Chennai Corporation runs 140 urban primary health centres, 15 community health centres, three maternity hospitals and six diagnostic labs. The civic body would spend Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore to upgrade all these centres. Similarly, the civic body has also proposed to renovate 281 Chennai Corporation schools at a cost of Rs 200 crore. As per the proposal, the schools would be provided with new name boards, attractive paintings and other facilities on par with private schools. Of the Rs 200 crore, Rs 100 crore would be sanctioned through the Smart City Mission.

Meanwhile, the civic body has also directed private hospitals to report cases of dengue and other communicable diseases and send patients to the Corporation hospitals.