Jayalalithaa's legacy continues: Amma mini clinics inaugurated in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday inaugurated the Amma Mini Clinic Scheme, under which 2,000 mini clinics will be opened across the Southern state. This scheme was launched months before the Assembly elections, wherein AIADMK will face tough competition from DMK and other parties. These new clinics, having a doctor, nurse, and an assistant each, are meant for the poor.
Palaniswami inaugurated clinics in Royapuram, Vyasarpadi, and Mylapore. Reports claimed 630 mini clinics have been opened in the state; in Chennai 20 will start functioning soon. These clinics will be functional from 8 am to 12 noon and again between 4 pm and 8 pm. The patients will get treated for common problems like headaches and fever. Patients of COVID-19 won't be treated.
As 1,851 primary health centers are already functional in the state, these mini clinics will be opened in places that are devoid of such centers. Palaniswami said poor people have to spend Rs. 100-200 at private healthcare facilities. "Amma Mini Clinic is a scheme to ensure that poor families don't even have to bear that burden," he said, as per The Hindu.
Palaniswami also sang tunes about the steps taken for the welfare of the poor. "The Amma's (Jayalalithaa's) government has provided medical services to rural poor across Tamil Nadu by setting up 254 primary health centers and upgrading the facilities at 166 primary health centers with 30 beds and scan facilities," he said. He added that the healthcare infrastructure is also being upgraded.
"As many as 16.17 lakh beneficiaries have received baby-care kits at a cost of Rs. 219 crore. Besides, Rs. 4,000 is being given to pregnant women under the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme," the CM went on.
Like Palaniswami, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam also appreciated the efforts of the AIADMK government. He claimed the government managed to control the coronavirus spike, bringing the daily case tally down to 1,000 from over 6,000. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the efforts of Amma's government in getting the pandemic under control," he said. Tamil Nadu has 8,00,029 coronavirus cases and 11,909 have died.
The initiative was lauded by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a body representing lakhs of doctors. State Health Secretary Dr. J Radhakrishnan explained that a similar initiative, undertaken in the past, proved helpful in battling coronavirus. "The fever clinics we started earlier helped so much in combating the spike. This idea came from that," Radhakrishnan told NDTV.
