5 secondary care hosps in T’malai district to get improved facilities
Inquiries revealed that it was only recently Rs 3 crore was sanctioned by the State government to provide an additional building and to improve health care locally.
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TIRUVANNAMALAI: Eyebrows were raised when there was no word from the health department on improving facilities at the Chengam Government Hospital in Tiruvannamalai district, especially after the twin accidents that claimed 14 lives recently.
While Tiruvannamalai district police who held discussions with NHAI and TNSTC officials and visited the accident-prone stretch submitted a report to the government through the District Collector it was expected that a similar move would also be made by the health department.
Inquiries revealed that it was only recently Rs 3 crore was sanctioned by the State government to provide an additional building and to improve health care locally.
Officials said, “It was not possible to provide tertiary care in a secondary care hospital when the Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital was the only tertiary care hospital for the entire district.”
The official added, “Even now after the creation of the Medical College Hospital, the latter still lacks a neurosurgery department and hence neuro cases are referred either to the Vellore Government Medical College Hospital or to the CMC hospital in Vellore.”
Though plans are afoot to create a super specialty hospital in the old headquarters hospital premises inside Tiruvannamalai town – the Medical College Hospital is on the bypass road – the move was still at the planning stage, sources said.
“We do not know when the project will take off,” official sources said.
However, five secondary care hospitals in the district including those at Cheyyar Thiruvathipuram), Arani, Vandavasi, Vembakkam and Thandarampattu are soon to be provided additional facilities for which a DPR (detailed project report) estimated at Rs 5.70 crore had been prepared and work was expected to start soon, sources revealed.
“PWD minister EV Velu who improved all approach roads to the temple town can also speed up health-related work in the district if he interacts with his colleague and health minister M Subramanim,” sources added.