Chennai: More than 60.32 lakh first time patients have benefited under the Tamilnadu’s flagship programme, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, Health Minister Ma.Subramanian informed the State Assembly.
The programme was launched by Chief Minister M.K.Stalin in August last year at a cost of Rs.257.16 crore to address the increasing burden due to non-communicable diseases.
Moving the demand for grants for his department, the Minister said an important feature of the scheme is that each and every line-listed beneficiary is brought under the Population Health Registry (PHR) for continuous monitoring and follow up of the patients.
‘As on 11 April, 2022, 60,32,469 first time patients benefitted under the scheme with 81,81,715 repeat beneficiaries’, he said. .
The Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme provides home based healthcare services for line-listed beneficiaries such as delivery of Hypertension/Diabetes Mellitus drugs for patients who are 45 years and above and those with restricted mobility, home based Palliative Care and Physiotherapy Services, caring for End Stage Kidney Failure patients, referral for Essential Services, identification of children with congenital problems or any other health needs in the family.
Subramanian said to protect the people from any diseases for which another flagship programme Varumun Kappom Thittam has been revived and launched by the Chief Minister in September, 2021 for conducting 1,250 Medical Camps annually in the rural and urban areas.
The scheme provides comprehensive health check-up, treatment and health education to the rural and urban people and specialized doctors provide these services.