MADURAI: A total of 93 Health Sub-Centres (HSC) in Madurai remain closed for the last three years because the buildings have become weak and pose a threat to patients and staff. Officials in the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said the PWD is yet to inspect the buildings, forcing nurses and health volunteers to travel 15-20 km to report to the nearby PHC
Despite multiple reminders for the last one year the PWD officials are yet to inspect it. There are 316 HSC in all revenue blocks and taluks of Madurai district. Among them, 78 facilities were declared unfit for use three years ago, and have been demolished by PWD. But, sources said that 93 more HSCs are also unfit. No staff has been deployed there since the entire building is in dilapidated condition.
J Jayakumar, a resident from Thenichayam village in Vadipatti taluk said, “HSC in our village was constructed in 1984. In 2018, the ceilings were broken, damaged pillars made it difficult for nurse and health volunteers. When we sought for a new building, the officials said only after the existing one is demolished or declared unfit, the new one will be constructed.”
Speaking to TNIE, a top official from the health department said HSC is the most important grassroots-level public health unit, where village health nurse or village health volunteer reach remote locations to administer routine
immunisation to prevent life-threatening,vaccine-preventable diseases at the local doorsteps. Since they are mostly used in antenatal care, delivery support, and routine child and maternal vaccinations, the facility wasn’t taken seriously.”
A top official from PWD (Construction and Maintenance) Department said, “We have formalised a team to inspect these facilities in Alanganallur, Palamedu, Vadipatti and other parts of the Madurai district. We will coordinate with the local health inspector in each zone of the taluk. Within a few weeks, the inspection will be carried out, based on the structure damage and other issues, these facilities could be declared ‘unfit’.”