Chennai establishes three geriatric care centres

Chennai's Greater Chennai Corporation has announced plans to establish three geriatric care centres to support the city's aging population. These centres will focus on treating age-related health issues like joint pain, bone problems, and mental health conditions. They will utilize both allopathic and traditional Indian medical practices. The centres will be located in North, South, and Central Chennai. The mayor, R Priya, mentioned that the project has a budget of 30 lakh. The initiative aims to provide necessary care for communicable and non-communicable diseases, vaccinations, and routine health check-ups for the elderly. The centres will be situated in PRN Garden in North Chennai, Sembium near Perambur, and Thoraipakkam in South Chennai. Dr. G Shanthakumari, chair of the health standing committee, noted that there are plans to expand these services to more areas in the city over time. Each centre will have a medical doctor and a nurse, with facilities to admit patients. In cases of severe conditions, patients will be referred to larger hospitals. The corporation is investing over 15 crore to enhance healthcare services and infrastructure citywide. Changes include a new building at the urban health centre in Chindadripet for 2.5 crore and the installation of lifts in 22 urban primary health centres for 5 crore to improve accessibility. Air-conditioned medicine storage rooms will be created for 3 crore to keep essential drugs safe. Additionally, 19 maternity hospitals will receive fogger machines for infection control, and defibrillators will be provided for cardiac emergencies. A new three-storey medical warehouse will also be built at Ambal Nagar for 2.5 crore to improve storage and distribution.