Patient-friendly FHCs improve healthcare services in Kerala

Walking to the Public Health Centre (PHC), Fousiya Cholakkadan carries a distinct spring in her step. The 45-year-old housewife from Malappuram has brought her mother to the PHC for the treatment of her age-related ailments, for which she won’t have to stand in long winding queues. She has taken a web-based appointment for her mother under Aardram project, the Kerala government project to deliver quality healthcare, patient-friendly services in government hospitals.

The ambitious programme aims to add speciality and super-speciality facilities to the district and Taluk hospitals. It also looks to turn the PHCs into the Family Health Centres (FHC) to effectively meet the healthcare needs of all the members of the family and to address the preventive, promotive and rehabilitative healthcare. The key features of the project are that this enabled a web-based appointment system, patient reception and registration, improved facilities in waiting areas.

The FHCs will have more number of OP counters, booking counters, seating facilities, drinking water, toilets, signage and display screens. Health awareness classes, private treatment rooms, and enough number of doctors and nurses will be made available in the FHCs.

Under the scheme, district hospitals and medical college hospitals have been transformed into more patient-friendly, adding more enhanced amenities. In the first phase, 170 PHCs have been converted into FHCs while the second phase saw 503 PHCs turned into FHCs. After converting 673 PHCs into FHCs, the government is planning to transform the remaining ones patient-friendly centres.

In the third phase, 14 PHCs in Thiruvananthapuram, 12 in Kollam, 14 in Pathanamthitta, 8 in Alappuzha, 14 in Kozhikode, 17 in Kottayam, 12 in Idukki, 23 in Ernakulam, 6 in Wayanad, 21 in Kannur, 18 in Palakkad, 29 in Malappuram, 15 in Thrissur, and 10 in Kasaragod will be transformed into FHCs.

After being converted into FHCs, the services and working time of the hospitals have improved and increased, with the OPs now being operational till evening. Further, the FHCs now have laboratory facilities, pre-check counselling, non-communicable diseases clinics, yoga and wellness centres. During the pandemic, the FHCs played a pivotal role in curbing the mortality rates in the state.

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