THANJAVUR: Pointing out that construction of drug warehouses under the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation is under way in six districts at a total cost of Rs 30 crore, Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Thursday said upon their completion, all 38 districts in the state will have the storage facility.
Addressing reporters after inaugurating the third international conference on public health in Thanjavur, the minister further said that essential drugs are “100% available” in all existing warehouses.
For the first time in the past two years, Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) and Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) have been made accessible in all 2,286 primary health centres (PHCs) across the state. Previously, these life-saving drugs were only available at block-level, taluk-level government hospitals, and medical college hospitals, he added.
To a query on appointments in state-run hospitals, Subramanian said the process of recruiting doctors, village health nurses and health inspectors is under way. He also confirmed that orders were issued on Thursday to fill vacancies for deans at the 14 medical colleges in the state.
The minister further noted a significant reduction in the state’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), with Virudhunagar achieving zero per cent MMR in 2023-24. The three-day international conference will feature lectures by 50 experts, with 151 research papers to be submitted, he added. Over 2,000 delegates, including doctors and healthcare professionals, are participating in the event.