As floods devastated Kerala in 2018, a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Vazhakkad village located near Chaliyar river in Malappuram district was also not spared. The PHC was destroyed fully. Three years later, the people of Vazhakkad are all set to get their PHC back, but it’s no longer the small establishment that it was, but a full-fledged Family Health Centre spread out over 15,000 square feet, that has an emergency room, a mini-operation theatre, doctors' consulting rooms, nurses' station, medical store, vaccine store, sample collection centre, vision and dental clinic, and a designated zone for mother and child, pregnant women and the elderly.
On July 24, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the health centre, which was reconstructed under the 'VPS-Rebuild Kerala initiative' for Rs 10 crore, with support of VPS Healthcare, a hospital chain based in the UAE. Speaking to TNM, Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, the Chairman and Managing Director of VPS Healthcare said that when floods lashed Kerala in 2018, in the first phase of their support, the group had sent a flight with medicines, food packets, water purifiers, clothes, and hygiene products to for affected people.
"In the second phase, we expressed our desire to reconstruct Kerala's vital infrastructure destroyed in the floods. Following the deliberations with the Chief Minister, we decided to rebuild the primary health centre at Vazhakkad, considering our expertise in the health sector," he recalled.
Dr Shamsheer Valayil
The construction of the FHC commenced in February 2019. "Primary and family health centres are the backbone of Kerala's public health infrastructure. It addresses the majority of the daily medical needs of the public. The role of these institutions in making healthcare accessible is incredible. Affordable healthcare is a challenge of the time. But the policies of successive governments in Kerala helped to make quality and affordable healthcare accessible through public health care facilities," he added.
He also points to the necessity of modernising the healthcare system specially at this time of pandemic. "Robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technologies are transforming healthcare practices. Complicated surgeries of the past are now daycare procedures. We shall adapt to this system when we speak of modernising healthcare," he said.
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He also shares a vision that all the health centres in the state shall have a face lift specially under the prestigious government project called Aardram mission. The Vazhakkad FHC has an advanced laboratory and a modern imaging department. It has ten observation beds with oxygen concentrators and a stabilisation unit to attend to patients suffering from low oxygen saturation. Earlier, the PHC used to cater to around 75,000 people annually but the upgraded facility is expected to help around 2 lakh patients a year.
The Vazhakkad FHC has adopted a modern structure developed by the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai. It has been designed by a group of students from the School of Architecture and Planning at Government Engineering College, Thrissur. The building materials are eco-friendly and the team has eliminated the usage of bricks, blocks, timber, and plasterboard linings, making the building environment-friendly, non-polluting, energy-efficient, and aesthetically pleasing.
"The family health centre not only offers medical treatment. It promotes the well-being of people as well. So, we have set up an open gymnasium, play area for children, and other amenities at the centre to promote a healthy lifestyle. We hope this would bring about a change in society and inspire others to come up with similar models across the state," Dr Shamsheer said, adding that health centres and hospitals are not only meant to provide solutions for health issues but they also have a significant role in the well being of the people.