A walk-in centre under the One Stop TB Solution Scheme was commissioned at Kollumedu upgraded primary health centre (PHC) in Villivakkam on Sunday.
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the PHC had been equipped with facilities required to treat tuberculosis as announced in the Budget earlier this year. The aim was to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in the State.
“We had announced that we will implement the ‘One Stop TB Solution Scheme’ at a cost of ₹20 crore. We have provided necessary equipment to diagnose TB,” he said after inaugurating the centre.
According to Mr. Subramanian, persons under treatment were given ₹500 monthly, which cost the exchequer ₹16 crore. At present, 86,000 persons in the State had been diagnosed with TB, and many of them received nutrition kits worth ₹1,600 from non-governmental organisations to enable them to complete the treatment regimen.
He announced that Madhavaram MLA S. Sudarsanam had offered to supply the nutrition kits to the identified TB patients in his constituency. Tiruvallur district in-charge Minister and Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi stepped forward to provide the kits to 3,000 persons currently under TB treatment in the district.
The PHC has also been equipped with a mobile x-ray unit, which can transmit the test results to an hospital for examination. The Chief Minister had flagged off 23 of the 48 proposed mobile x-ray units on July 1.
Tiruvallur Collector Alby John Varghese was also present.
