Chennai, Dec 27 ( IANS ) – Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian visited the “Stalin for Health” medical camp on Saturday, which was set up at the Government Higher Secondary School campus in Kannagi Nagar, a part of the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Sholinganallur zone.
The camp is a key part of the state’s flagship public‑health programme that aims to bring comprehensive medical services straight to the community level. Speaking to reporters after checking out the facilities, the minister noted that the initiative, launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on August 2, has become “one of the most extensive community health‑care initiatives in the country.”
Under the scheme, 1,256 medical camps are scheduled across Tamil Nadu, including three camps in every block, four in each of the five municipalities with populations above a million, and three in each of 19 smaller municipalities. By Saturday, the programme had wrapped up its 26th week, holding camps in 44 locations across 31 districts on a single day. To date, more than 800 camps have been conducted statewide, reaching 12,34,908 people. On that day alone, almost 9,951 patients received services at various sites.
The camps also play a pivotal role in linking beneficiaries to government welfare schemes. Attendees are issued health‑insurance cards on the spot, granting them cashless treatment; so far, 37,445 people have benefitted from these insurance covers. A significant highlight is the issuance of disability identity cards directly at the camps—an advantage over the previous requirement to visit district collectorates. Up to now, 46,657 persons with disabilities have received their certificates through this programme.
The minister added that the initiative has already been completed in seven districts—Mayiladuthurai, Nilgiris, Perambalur, Kancheepuram, Tirupattur, Nagapattinam and one more—and will soon roll out in the remaining areas.
Across 17 medical specialities, the camps offer services ranging from general medicine and paediatrics to cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology, dermatology, obstetrics & gynaecology, ophthalmology, ENT, physiotherapy, dentistry, mental health, pulmonology, diabetology, radiology, general surgery, and Siddha/Indian systems of medicine.
“The overwhelming response shows that the programme has become a model of people‑centric governance,” the minister said.
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