THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The health department will convert 50 primary health centres (PHC) into family health centres (FHCs) under the Ardra Keralam Mission. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the FHCs at a function to be held at Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram on April 17. He will also distribute the Ardra Keralam Awards to local bodies that excelled in the health sector.
Health Minister Veena George will preside over. Ministers V Sivankutty, Antony Raju and G R Anil will attend the function. The first prize will be given to the local bodies in Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Piravom, Mulanthuruthi and Chennerkkara in district panchayat, corporation, municipality, block panchayat and panchayat categories, respectively.
Among the PHCs that are converted to FHCs, seven are in Thiruvananthapuram, two in Kollam, four in Pathanamthitta, two in Alappuzha, one in Kottayam, one in Idukki, three in Ernakulam, three in Thrissur, seven in Palakkad, eight in Malappuram, three in Kozhikode, one in Kannur and eight in Kasaragod. The conversion will help the institutions to become more people-friendly by improving their infrastructure and services. There are 580 FHCs in the state. The target is to convert 886 PHCs into FHCs.
All FHCs are constructed to be women-disabled- age-friendly. An FHC has a waiting room, an op registration counter, a ramp, a check-up room, an injection room, a dressing room, an observation room, a nurses station, a lab, a pharmacy, a waiting area, televisions to give directions to patients, direction boards, public addressing system and patient-friendly bathrooms.
Besides, the FHC also has a pre-check-up, post-check-up, counselling system, Swaas clinic, Aswasam clinic for screening depression, mental health clinic, palliative care and telemedicine system.
Conversion of 886 PHCs in consideration
There are 580 FHCs in the state. The target is to convert 886 PHCs into FHCs. Meanwhile, the CM will also distribute the Ardra Keralam Awards on the occasion
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