Department of Health and Family Welfare Service (DHFWS), government of Puducherry on June 1 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GCARE Diabetes Council, a NGO for providing comprehensive primary health care.

An official release gere saud, Dr.K V Raman, Director, DHFWS and Mr Nandagopal, Chairman, GCARE Diabetic Council signed the MoU in the presence of Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao. To take advanced health care to the rural people in an easy manner, the Puducherry Health Department for the first time in the country adopted the concept of Comprehensive medical care in which as a first step all Primary health Centers and Sub-centers are converted into Health and wellness centers with the support of the Government of India, under NRHM.

Puducherry is the only state which is converting all the health facilities into health and wellness centre whereas other states converts only 10 to 30 percent of its primary health centre and sub-centre into Health and wellness centre. As per the MoU, the NGO will provide a kiosk machine at all the health centres. Kiosk machine is a tele health ATM machine which shall be accommodated in 120 sq feet space. Examinations such as Hb, blood sugar BP, pulse rate spO2 lipid profile, total cholesterol, height, weight, Ear check and skin examination could be done with the help of the kiosk machine.

All the investigations are done free of cost and also tele counselling is possible which means patient at the sub-centre level can get video consultation with the specialist at district hospital and treatment can be provided, which ultimately reduces the time and agony of the patient.