Additionalities under NRHM

Patient Welfare Societies

Patient Welfare Societies have been constituted in all the 1636 PHCs, 31 District Headquarters Hospitals and 235 Taluk / Non-Taluk Hospitals. All the societies are registered and functioning effectively. These societies coordinate with health staff for better functioning of the health centres by providing patient amenities and bridging service gaps which will definitely facilitate achievement of the objectives of NRHM.

Annual Maintenance Grant to PHCs/HSCs

An Annual Maintenance Grant of Rs.1 lakh is allotted for each PHC providing BEmONC services to ensure quality services through functional physical infrastructure. Similarly, an Annual Maintenance Grant is also allotted for other PHCs is allotted per annum for provision of water, toilets, their use and their maintenance and other activities which has resulted in the better functioning of the health centres. An Annual Maintenance Grant is also provided per annum for the maintenance of HSCs with own buildings.

Untied grants to Health Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres

Untied funds are given to all health facilities to meet out unexpected, essential and immediate expenses towards day to day maintenance. Flexibility is also given to the patient welfare societies for spending this money based on actual requirement. The untied funds are allotted to:

  1. SC (Health Sub Centres)
  2. PHC (Primary Health Centres)
  3. UPHC (Urban Primary Health Centres)
  4. TK/NTK (Taluk / Non-Taluk)

Village Health and Water Sanitation Committee (VHWSC)

The village is the basic unit for assessing the health needs of the people and for developing village specific plans. 12524 Village Health and Sanitation Committees have been formed all the village panchayats in Tamil Nadu, with representatives of the Panchayat Raj Institutions, women’s groups and other village level officials related to health and determinants of health such as water and sanitation. Similarly 2540 village health and water sanitation committees have been formed in 561 town panchayats for every 3000 population. Every such committee duly constituted and oriented is entitled to an annual untied grant of Rs.10,000/- which may be used for improvement of the health and sanitation of the village. The committee members will be given training regarding the village health activities during the current year.

Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHN Day)

The VHN day is conducted once a month by each VHWSC in one of the Anganwadi Centres in the Panchayat by rotation. During this session, both the VHN and the ICDS Anganwadi worker will offer joint services.A clinical session including Ante Natal Care will be conducted in the forenoon by the VHN and IEC activities will be conducted in the afternoon. The revised strategy for conducting VHN day has provided the health system with ample opportunities to interact with the ICDS workers and disseminate/counsel/manage the different substrata of the community based on their varying health needs.

School Health Programme

The School Health Programme is envisaged as an important tool for the provision of preventive, promotive and curative health services to the future generation. The newly designed Modified School Health Programme further strengthens the existing School Health Programme and facilitates the healthy growth and development of school going children in Tamil Nadu. This program prevents and detects health problems in addition to maintaining and improving the health status of students. The additional inputs on health education, lifestyle modification as well as adolescent counselling will be focused on students of the middle school classes in Government and Government aided schools. The modified School Health Programme is currently implemented in all the 42 HUDs.