The Health department in Kerala is launching people’s health centres across the State on May 18 to offer decentralised and affordable care at the local level.
Part of the Left Democratic Front government’s 100-day action plan, this is being implemented under the Ardram Mission. Sources told The Hindu on Tuesday that 5,409 such facilities would come up in all wards of local bodies in districts. The ward-level health sub-centres currently functioning under each primary health centre would be developed, as people’s health centres or new structures would be set up there in the next three years.
“The sub-centres are conducting only fixed day sessions on immunisation for kids or awareness events for pregnant women now. They have a junior health inspector and a junior public health nurse as staff apart from local-level Accredited Social Health Activists. The new people’s health centres will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, except Sunday. Each centre will additionally get a middle-level service provider (MLSP), who are postgraduates in nursing,” an official said.
