The Hindu : Administration gearing to organise special health camps

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Administration gearing to organise special health camps

By Shastry V. Mallady

MADURAI, FEB.3. The Madurai district health administration is gearing to conduct the first-ever `health mela,' reaching out to all the rural people through special camps to be organised during this month.

The `mela' is a joint effort by the Central and State Governments for which funds will be realised from the MP's constituency development fund.

Similar health camps are proposed in all Lok Sabha constituencies in the State, barring urban areas.

The Collector, B. Chandra Mohan, has called for a meeting on Wednesday with Health department officials to work out the exact date of the `mela' and the modalities of screening patients, according to the Deputy Director of Health Services, A. Rajendran.

He told The Hindu here today that the general screening of patients would be taken up at the sub-centres of the primary health centres in the district. Each PHC had six sub-centres covering 30,000 population, he said, adding that the `mela' would be a `gift' to the rural people.

The Madurai district `mela' would cover three MP constituencies — Madurai, parts of Dindigul and Theni. Members of Parliament would get in touch with the Collector for finalising the details of the health `mela'.

Meanwhile, the administration is in the final stages of completing the massive exercise of holding 13 speciality camps that targeted four non-communicable diseases — hypertension, cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.

A total of 11 such camps had already been conducted between December 6 and January 31 and the remaining two would be completed soon, Dr. Rajendran said. The next camp is scheduled for February 7 and the aim of the speciality camps is to reduce the death rate caused by the non-communicable diseases.

The camps had been held in 11 of the 13 blocks in Madurai district, covering 25,433 people providing a comprehensive health check-up. Free medicines were distributed and counselling was given.

Dr. Rajendran said the next priority would be to create a widespread public awareness in the district of sanitation and personal hygiene, which were vital for an overall good health scenario.

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