Nurses to run 10,000 clinics across state
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:03.10.2018
The state will set up at least 10,000 nurse-led clinics to aid early detection of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart ailments and cancer as part of the Universal Health Coverage scheme. At these clinics, patients can get tests done free of cost and medication with doctors’ prescriptions.
On Tuesday, senior officials headed by chief secretary Girija Vaidhyanathan discussed he policy, infrastructure and human resources required.
“It’s a plan to tackle the epidemic of non-communicable diseases in the state. We are hoping that these clinics will used by all sections,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandaswamy.
The state plans to set up all these nurse-led centres by 2022 along with 3,000 other doctor-led centres in PHCs, secondary care facilities in taluks and districts, tertiary care facilities in medical college hospitals, senior officials said. The nurses, who will have cleared the two-year auxiliary nurse midwifery course, will check temperature, blood pressure, sugar levels and do other blood tests.
While results for some tests will be available instantly at the clinics, other samples will be sent to the nearest primary health centre or district hospital. Patients can collect their free medication from the clinics instead of travelling to the primary health centre. The nurses will enter the patients’ health status in a centralised platform and alert doctors in case of any abnormality.
In 2017, the state launched a pilot project in three health blocks -- Shoolagiri in Krishnagiri district, Viralimalai in Pudukkottai district and Veppur in Perambalur district.
The footfalls in these clinics increased and a study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras found that over a period of time these centres, which are the closest delivery points to the community, showed the potential to become the building blocks for universal health coverage.
The study done by professors including V R Muraleedharan and Umakant Dash eight months after the establishment of these clinics showed that the share of private hospitals for out-patient care in these areas dropped significantly. Shoolagiri and Veppur saw a fall from 51% to 21% and Viralimalai from 47.8% to 24.2%.
The out-patient expenditure for patients also came down significantly from ₹261 to ₹59 in Shoolagiri; from ₹351 to ₹26 in Viralimalai, and from ₹395 to ₹67 in Veppur.
The state plans to set up all these nurse-led centres by 2022 along with 3,000 other doctor-led centres in PHCs, secondary care facilities in taluks and districts
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:03.10.2018
The state will set up at least 10,000 nurse-led clinics to aid early detection of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart ailments and cancer as part of the Universal Health Coverage scheme. At these clinics, patients can get tests done free of cost and medication with doctors’ prescriptions.
On Tuesday, senior officials headed by chief secretary Girija Vaidhyanathan discussed he policy, infrastructure and human resources required.
“It’s a plan to tackle the epidemic of non-communicable diseases in the state. We are hoping that these clinics will used by all sections,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandaswamy.
The state plans to set up all these nurse-led centres by 2022 along with 3,000 other doctor-led centres in PHCs, secondary care facilities in taluks and districts, tertiary care facilities in medical college hospitals, senior officials said. The nurses, who will have cleared the two-year auxiliary nurse midwifery course, will check temperature, blood pressure, sugar levels and do other blood tests.
While results for some tests will be available instantly at the clinics, other samples will be sent to the nearest primary health centre or district hospital. Patients can collect their free medication from the clinics instead of travelling to the primary health centre. The nurses will enter the patients’ health status in a centralised platform and alert doctors in case of any abnormality.
In 2017, the state launched a pilot project in three health blocks -- Shoolagiri in Krishnagiri district, Viralimalai in Pudukkottai district and Veppur in Perambalur district.
The footfalls in these clinics increased and a study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras found that over a period of time these centres, which are the closest delivery points to the community, showed the potential to become the building blocks for universal health coverage.
The study done by professors including V R Muraleedharan and Umakant Dash eight months after the establishment of these clinics showed that the share of private hospitals for out-patient care in these areas dropped significantly. Shoolagiri and Veppur saw a fall from 51% to 21% and Viralimalai from 47.8% to 24.2%.
The out-patient expenditure for patients also came down significantly from ₹261 to ₹59 in Shoolagiri; from ₹351 to ₹26 in Viralimalai, and from ₹395 to ₹67 in Veppur.
The state plans to set up all these nurse-led centres by 2022 along with 3,000 other doctor-led centres in PHCs, secondary care facilities in taluks and districts
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