CHENNAI: The Tambaram City Municipal Corporation (TCMC) will be launching a survey with the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and UNICEF to identify gaps in public health and hygiene in the corporation area. Officials said the survey will have 120 questions on healthcare infrastructure and accessibility.
The TCMC will use a digital application for the exercise and aims to put together an e-family register. This will aid in planning and restructuring public health services, including immunisation programmes, maternal health services, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam and non-communicable disease management within the corporation’s limits, sources said.
The pilot phase is underway in ward 48, with 80 paramedical students deployed for data collection.
“The e-family register will allow real-time updates, service area mapping and identification of gaps in health service delivery. It will also help determine the need for new facilities based on population norms,” an official said.
Sources from the health department said the survey collects data on housing quality, education, occupation, income, access to healthcare, family health status, immunisation, water supply, drainage, waste disposal, pet registration and Ayushman Bharat Health Account and ID generation for those eligible.
Spread across 87.64 square kilometres with five zones and 70 wards, the corporation houses approximately 10 lakh people. Its healthcare infrastructure includes 13 urban primary health centres, 69 health sub-centres and nine urban health and wellness centres. However, the corporation’s proximity to Chennai and robust transport connectivity have led to a rapidly growing population, presenting challenges in meeting healthcare demands.
After addressing practical challenges from the pilot survey, the initiative will be expanded to all wards and completed within six months.