Corporation to offer affordable healthcare

Tuesday, 26 December 2017 06:12
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The Hindu       26.12.2017

Corporation to offer affordable healthcare

Thanks to the ‘Smart Hospitals’ initiative

The ‘Smart Hospitals’ initiative of the Madurai Corporation will facilitate delivery of quality healthcare at its hospitals at affordable cost, said Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar on Monday.

The Commissioner told The Hindu he would strive to focus on hospitals falling under the ‘area-based development’ zone of the Smart City Mission.

There are currently three hospitals that have been shortlisted for the first phase of smart healthcare delivery.

They are primary health centres and maternity homes located in Baskaradas Nagar, East Veli Street and South Gate. The smart hospital project is set to improve the hospital capacity tracking facility, emergency management, fire detection and tele-health, according to an official of the health department of the corporation.

“Smart hospital aims at improving the user experience and providing infrastructure that matches or beats the private healthcare providers. Waiting areas will be cleaner and inpatient facilities will improve. Special attention will be given to the needs of staff and paramedics too,” said the Commissioner.

“Though the project does not immediately set out to increase the number of hospital beds, it looks to revamp the existing infrastructure. The initiative is currently in the ‘detailed project report’ stage and cost estimates will be available to the public after the reports are approved,” said Dr. Sekhar.

A total of Rs. 334 crore of Madurai’s Smart City Mission fund has gone into heritage conservation and open spaces enhancement. About Rs. 300 crore has been pumped into improving basic infrastructure such as water, sewage and roads.

This initiative would encourage citizens to approach government organisations for healthcare, said the Commissioner.