Mini clinics in several parts of the city remain closed

The 2,000 mini clinics had additional health officers deputed to provide primary care and they were diverted for COVID-19 services from the mini clinics to the nearby government medical colleges and hospital based on the request from the deans of the respective medical college hospitals in the second wave. Some of the medical officers were also directed to the district hospitals or sub-district hospitals. 

Though mini clinics were supposed to function with the available staff, many of them had to shut down because of lack of staff. While the state health minister Ma Subramanian assured last month that the healthcare workers working at the mini clinics had come for COVID-19 special duty at hospitals and thus, many of them were locked due to short staffing. However, after the COVID-19 cases have come down, mini clinics are yet to will start functioning in a full fledged manner in many places. 

Since the mini clinics were serving as the vaccination sites for specific localities, the locals have to now look for special camps being organised for vaccination as the mini clinics are not functioning properly. 

"We were aware of the mini clinics in our area and it was near our home. People in the neighbourhood knew about them and the vaccination was easier. However, now we have to look for vaccination sites and I do not know how to check for it online," said K Suresh, a resident of Kolathur. 

Though the primary health centres in the State are also serving as a vaccination site, but mini clinics were easily approachable for many. Residents say that the infrastructure of mini clinics would go useless if they are not given attention. 

"The Amma mini clinics were opened by the previous government and now as the government changed and COVID-19 cases increased, these clinics have not been working. Many people in the neighbourhood visited the clinic when they were opened in case of complaints of fever, blood sugar checks, pain and other primary health care issues. We know that if was expected that this might change as government changes but it is a waste of infrastructure that can be used for our benefit even now," says Robin K, a resident of Alwarpet. 

When contacted, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr T S Selvavinayagam said that adequate vaccination sites are available in the State and the medical officers in mini clinics are being slowly sent back to the mini clinics as the cases in most of the government hospitals have declined.