COIMBATORE: Health Minister Vows Strict Action Against Urban Health and Wellness Centres Irregularities

Coimbatore, Tuesday - In a stern warning to those responsible for the poor running of urban health and wellness centres in Coimbatore, Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced that strict action would be taken against officials found neglecting their duties.

This comes after the minister's surprise inspection on Monday evening, where two out of the four centres he visited were without doctors. In response, the minister has instructed district health officers to conduct night-time and early morning inspections of all urban health and wellness centres across the state.

"If any centre is found closed in the evening or staff are absent without notice, those responsible will be immediately relieved from their duty," the minister warned.

The government had launched the 708 urban health and wellness centres project in 2022, with 72 centres allocated to Coimbatore district. Since then, a total of 500 such centres have been inaugurated, including 45 within the Coimbatore city corporation limits.

Each centre must have at least one doctor, nurse, health inspector, and an assistant hired on contract basis through the district health society. To ensure accessibility, these centres typically operate for five hours each day.

Following a review of the situation, the minister has also ordered signage to be installed at all urban health and wellness centres with clear indications of their operating hours.

In a separate move, the minister launched a new MRI scanner worth Rs13 crore at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital. The previous one, installed in 2018, was deemed inadequate due to rising demand for scans.