TIRUNELVELI: In view of CCTV cameras being installed in 2,286 rural and urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs), the director of National Health Mission (NHM) - Tamil Nadu Shilpa Prabhakar Satish has issued instructions to the Deputy Directors (DDs) of Health Services in all districts stating that the camera vendors faced several challenges while installing the devices.
Shilpa’s instruction, in a letter dated September 25, read, “CCTV cameras would be installed in the waiting hall of the PHCs and in the medical officer’s room pointing towards the medical officer’s chair.” She further instructed the DDs, Block Medical Officers, City Health Officers, and Medical Officers to allow the vendors to carry out the installation work late in the evening and at night if needed, adding that the available internet facility is to be utilised for this purpose.
The NHM has requested ELCOT to supply as many as 4,572 CCTV cameras to 2,286 PHCs (two cameras at each PHC), 100 metres of LAN cable, and one Network Video Recorder to each PHC. ELCOT has issued the purchase order to the empanelled vendors viz., M/s. Zigma Technology Pvt. Ltd., and M/s. Bio-Vision Secure Solutions Pvt. Ltd. These vendors are in the process of supplying and installing the CCTVs. However, during the installation, they faced some obstacles in PHCs, according to the letter.
Shilpa has told the officials to follow her instructions to avoid any obstacles. During the budget session of 2023-24, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Department Ma Subramanian announced that CCTV cameras would be installed in rural and urban PHCs to strengthen their functioning and security, at a cost of Rs 10.17 crore.