Keeping in line with several welfare initiatives in the name of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated the “Amma mini clinic” on Monday in Chennai. Chennai will have a total of 200 such clinics and Tamil Nadu will get 2,000 such clinics soon.
These mini clinics will function from 8 am to 12 noon on the first shift, and from 4 pm to 8 pm in its second shift. The mini clinics will provide basic healthcare facilities like checking body temperature, blood oxygen, blood pressure, haemoglobin, blood sugar, urine samples. These clinics will have doctors, nurses and medical assistants to tend to the patients who walk in and will be set up in densely populated areas across the state.
The inauguration comes amid Tamil Nadu’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. There are around 1,851 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state that cater to the basic medical needs of the public. The state government has also spent around Rs 7,525.71 crore in its battle against coronavirus, as per a report. The Chief Minister inaugurated 630 mini clinics on Monday. Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and state health minister C Vijayabaskar and other officials were present during the event. Calling it a ‘historic achievement,’ Edappadi Palaniswami said that the state government implemented this scheme with an intention to provide disease-free lives for its people.
The Chief Minister inaugurated three clinics in Chennai -- Royapuram, Vyasarpadi and Mylapore. “He might visit Salem on December 16 to inaugurate the clinics there as well,” a report said.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also lauded this initiative taken by the Tamil Nadu government in ensuring better and accessible medical facilities for the public in the middle of a pandemic.