All primary health centres to be modernised in phases: Minister

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/28/stories/2007082861550800.htm

Special Correspondent

Rs.12,000 crore allotted for National Rural Health Mission

RANIPET: All primary health centres in the country will be modernised in phases under the National Rural Health Mission, according to Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss.

Speaking at a function organised to inaugurate the work on the Tindivanam-Nagari broad-gauge route at the Old Ranipet Station here on Sunday, he said Rs.12,000 crore was allotted for the mission, and Tamil Nadu would get Rs.400 crore.

The primary health centres would be upgraded with blood bank, operation theatre and maternity ward. Those in Tamil Nadu would be modernised within the next two to three years.

The Union Health Ministry allotted Rs.75 crore to Tamil Nadu for HIV/AIDS control. A sum of Rs.1.5 crore was sanctioned for setting up an emergency care centre at Ranipet.

Social health activists

Dr. Ramadoss said the Centre would appoint 6.20 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists, at the rate of one each in all 6.20 lakh villages in the country, to monitor the health of the people, arrange for medical treatment and undertake follow-up measures. So far, 5.20 lakh activists had been appointed, and 2.80 lakh of them got formal training.

The Minister wanted the Loss of Ecology Authority, constituted on the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum, to reassess the damage caused to agriculture in Vellore district by tannery effluents.

Damage to agriculture

Recalling the cycle rally from Walajapet to Vaniyambadi and other agitations conducted by Pasumai Thayagam, the environmental wing of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, against the continued damage to the groundwater by the effluents, Dr. Ramadoss said the Authority had not awarded compensation to all affected farmers, while the entire compensation had not been disbursed to those who got it. The Pasumai Thayagam and the PMK would take steps to enable all affected farmers to get the compensation.

Referring to the request by Vellore MP K.M. Khader Mohideen for establishment of a herbal farm at Arni in Tiruvannamalai district, Dr. Ramadoss said his Ministry was prepared to sanction the farm, provided the Tamil Nadu Government sent a proposal, seeking funds.

Government, private hospitals in State to be networked

From http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/07/stories/2007080776330500.htm

Government, private hospitals in State to be networked

Ramya Kannan

CHENNAI: A geographic information system-based map of private and government hospitals in Tamil Nadu will soon be available on the Internet.

An undertaking under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, it aims at creating a network of hospitals all over the State to facilitate easy identification of the closest hospital.

This will reduce delay in rushing people to emergency care units and also allow travellers to identify the nearest health care on the Net.

All public and private facilities will be posted online, including detailed maps with specific locations plotted on them, according to P.W.C. Davidar, Special Secretary, Health.

These include medical college hospitals, district headquarters hospitals and primary health centres, in addition to private hospitals, nursing homes and polyclinics.

Apart from contact information for each hospital and a map, the site will also display the ISO certification and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Service Providers (NABH) certification of hospitals, wherever relevant.

Specialisations, if any, will also be specified against each hospital.

As far as possible we will make sure that the information provided by private hospitals is true. We do not want to recommend quacks, Mr. Davidar said.

The process of obtaining details about private hospitals was on and was a challenge, given the number of units that had to be covered.

It would to take six to eight months before all the information was uploaded on the Net.

Childcare clinics on wheels

From Indian Express

Childcare clinics on wheels
Sunday August 5 2007 10:43 IST

NAGAPATTINAM: The UNICEF has provided two fully equipped childcare vehicles to transport infants during emergency medical situations from primary health centres (PHCs) to larger hospitals in Nagapattinam district.

Handing over the vehicles to Thirupoondi and Thiruvenkadu PHCs in the district, the Collector said that the UNICEF had handed over six such vehicles, worth Rs 18 lakh each to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister recently and the CM had distributed them to three districts.

The Collector added that the UNICEF had provided the vehicles to enable transportation of infants requiring emergency care from PHCs to larger district hospitals. The vehicles called as

‘‘Neonatal transport units’’ are equipped to stabilise the clinical status of the babies en route. The interiors of the vehicles have been painted with polythene that has bacteria inhibiting property. It is provided with an incubator, a ventilator, a compressor, oxygen cylinders, infusion pump, pulse oxymeter, resuscitation kit and suction pump.

The Collector said the vehicles could function as a full-fledged neonatal intensive care unit. A 24-hour control room had been opened in the collectorate for providing information about the vehicle and people from remote villages could dial the toll-free number of ‘‘105’’

A system to improve health care

From Indian Express

A system to improve health care
Sunday August 5 2007 10:14 IST

CHENNAI: A ‘hospital management information system’ will be introduced in the Government Hospitals in the State soon, said Health and Family Welfare special secretary P W C Davidar.

Inaugurating the Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic Diseases and Gastro Intestinal Bleed Unit at the Lifeline Multi Speciality Hospital here on Friday, he said that the system would help improve health care services.

There are plans to computerise the patient records too, including the out patient department. Initially, it will be introduced in 38 hospitals and later to the remaining hospitals across the State.

The Comprehensive Information Management System would enable the doctor to access medical history of a patient by typing in a number, he said.

Under the World Bankaided Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, two major pilot projects would be undertaken. Lifeline Hospitals chairman Dr J S Rajkumar and its mulitspeciality hospitals director Dr M Balasubramaniam were also present.