Modi inaugurates National Centre of Ageing

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Centre of Ageing and several other health infrastructure projects in the State through video conferencing from Gujarat on Sunday.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian and health secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi were presented at the inaugural ceremony at the Centre.

The Health Minister called it a remarkable day for the healthcare sector in the State as the idea of the National Centre of Ageing was proposed in 2004 by Kalaignar Karunanidhi and it has now become a reality.

He said that the project was decided in 2007, however, due to lack of adequate land, the project could not take off. In 2008, the land was chosen in Guindy.

The construction of the Ageing Centre was started in 2016-17 and it was completed in 2019. However, it was changed to a dedicated COVID Care facility in 2020 as the pandemic hit.

The minister said that after the pandemic, the building of the Centre was not in a good condition and it could not be converted back to the National Centre of Ageing.

The Public Works Department (PWD) had declared it unfit for use and then renovation of the Institute was done after a visit by the officials.

Talking about the various facilities at the Centre, he said that it also has 76 pay wards, with all the basic facilities and amenities for the patients that would cost from Rs 900.

"There are four operation theatres and one mini operation theatre. Of the various departments, urology, cardiology, nephrology, neurology, medical gastroenterology, psychiatry, physical medicine, Ayush and Siddha medicines are also set up at the Centre. It will also have orthopaedic care, ENT, geriatric care and rehabilitation rooms, including separate rooms for all the patients above 60 years," he said.

Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi also expressed his happiness on the inauguration of the Centre and said that this is the first standalone National Centre of Ageing. "It is because of the efforts of Government of India that Centre has been set up at a cost of Rs 151 crore. The State government has created the posts of the 50 senior doctors and 70 nurses. A total of 216 contractual staff have been deployed at the Centre."

Besides this, PM also inaugurated the Central Government Health Scheme Wellness Center in Avadi along with a research laboratory.

A composite TB research facility under the ICMR-NIRT, a Microbiology and Food Testing Laboratory in Coimbatore, was also inaugurated.

He also laid the foundation stone for five Integrated Public Health Labs and five Critical Care Blocks in Ulundurpettai, Arakkonam, Otteri, Sivakasi and Tiruvannamalai.