Chennai to get 100 more mobile fever clinics

CHENNAI: As the state continues to see large number of positive cases, the government has decided to deploy 100 more mobile fever clinics in Chennai to identify symptomatic people with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and influenzalike illness (ILI). Greater Chennai Corporation has been told to work out the logistics for the same with the health department.This comes ahead of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s scheduled meeting with health experts on Tuesday to discuss the control measures and an exit plan for the lockdown.
Chief secretary K Shanmugam on Monday held a meeting with Chennai corporation and health officials to augment the health infrastructure in the city. “Apart from 140 urban primary health centres and 19 dispensaries, we are opening more than 100 mobile fever clinics in various places. They will help identify symptomatic persons. Orders will be issued in two days after getting the chief minister’s nod,” Shanmugam told TOI. The health department has deputed 600 staff to municipal administration department for Covid-19 prevention and contact tracing of positive cases.
The government has been supplying kabasura kudineer, a herbal decoction, for enhancing immunity of people. People are being shifted from congested areas to quarantine centres and provided food when social distancing norms become difficult to maintain. Mobile toilets have been deployed in many areas. “We have decentralised contact tracing in Chennai by working out zonallevel plans,” Shanmugam said.
Chennai Corporation joint commissioner (health) J Madhusudhan Reddy said the civic body was already running 15 mobile clinics. “We prepare a route chart for the clinics every day to cover areas witnessing spurt in ILI cases. Around 500 people are being tested daily through the corporation screening system,” he said. Owing to high instances of Covid-19, the state has restricted the number of domestic flight arrivals at Chennai to 25 per day. Palaniswami was initially opposed to permitting landing of any regular flight in the state, but relented after persuasion from the Centre.