Bengal's Sub-health centres to get substantial upgrade

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken an initiative to upgrade 10,357 sub-health centres in the state to "Health and Wellness Centres".

As many as 5,250 staff nurses will also be recruited for the project, that has received the nod of the Cabinet on Wednesday.

Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister of state for Health, said: "All the sub-health centres in the state will be upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres, where staff nurses will be on-duty."

In the same breath, she said that 12 health facilities including ENT, dental, eye, anti and post natal and treatment of communicable diseases will become possible once the sub-health centres get upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres.

"In a bid to ensure the facilities, posting of staff nurses is necessary and at the same time, doctors will also be there if needed," she said, adding that necessary steps have been taken to improve the infrastructure of the health centres as well.

She said that a guideline has been prepared and according to it, the work will be carried out to implement the project successfully.

It may be mentioned that health facilities like only first aid were available in the sub-health centres and in case of a serious case, a patient had to be transferred to block primary health centres or the primary health centres.

But with upgradation of the same to Health and Wellness Centres, people will be getting more facilities there.

Taking a dig at the erstwhile Left Front government, Bhattacharya said no step had been taken earlier to improve the infrastructure of the sub-health centres. Moreover, doctors, nurses and health officials had retired but there was no new recruitment during their tenure.

It had led to a huge gap between the strength required to ensure better health services to people and the existing strength.

Soon after coming to power in 2011, Mamata Banerjee had initiated steps to bridge the gap. Doctors, nurses and health staff were recruited in the past seven years.

"The decision has been taken to recruit staff nurses. As many as 5,250 nurses will be recruited," Bhattacharya said.

It may be mentioned that the state-run hospitals have received a facelift and the infrastructure has developed manifold to ensure better health service to the people of the state.

Recently, she also held a state-level meeting with health officials, doctors and representatives of concerned organisations in Nabanna Sabhaghar.