Tamil Nadu launches 'Amma' mini-clinics aimed at helping poor

The launch comes months before the state goes for a crucial Assembly election

Chief Minister’s ‘Amma’ mini clinics that will provide free health consultation to people belonging to poor and marginalised sections came into being in Tamil Nadu on Monday. The first of the few clinics in Chennai were inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday, who said 2,000 such mini clinics will be launched in the state in the next few months.

The mini-clinics are aimed at reducing the burden on overcrowded hospitals and ensuring that people living in slums access healthcare just by a walk or by commuting through cycle. The clinics, each of which will have a doctor, nurse and a medical assistant, will function from 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm everyday.

The state government has decided to launch 630 mini-clinics each in the first two phases and 740 in the third phase. The idea was conceived after fever camps conducted first in Chennai and later expanded to other parts of the state to detect Covid-19 cases turned successful.

“We have chosen areas where people from poorer sections of the society live to establish these mini-clinics. We want to ensure a healthy Tamil Nadu and these mini-clinics will go a long way in realising the dreams. We do not want poor people to spend even a few hundred rupees for consultation or treatment,” Palaniswami said.

The launch comes months before the state goes for its most-crucial assembly elections in recent times.

The clinic will be open for four hours in the evening to enable people to access them after coming from work. People from the middle-class who live far-away from hospitals, those living in slums, and labourers and daily-wage workers are likely to be benefited from the new clinics.

“The clinics will serve as the first stop for people suffering from fever, cold, and flu without having to knock at the doors of a private hospital or a government tertiary care hospital. Our aim is to establish such clinics in every areas so that people can access them even by walk,” J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary (Health), told DH.

“Treatment for ailments like fever, cold, and flu will be taken care at these mini-clinics. This will be very helpful to people,” he added.