FHC resurrected to bring laurels to health sector

The family health centre at Vazhakkad is the biggest such facility in the country

A government health centre at Vazhakkad in Malappuram is getting spruced up to bring laurels to the State’s health sector.

The centre, being reconstructed after it was destroyed in the 2018 floods, is poised to become the biggest and the most advanced family health centre (FHC) in the country when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates it on July 24.

The ₹10-crore FHC at Vazhakkad, funded by Shamsheer Vayalil, NRI entrepreneur and chairman of VPS Healthcare, will be the first of its kind in the State. From ruins, it underwent a complete makeover through the use of modern design and technology. It will be the first such facility in the country promoting the concept of health and wellness with an open gymnasium, play area for children, and other amenities.

In line with the design and structure developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, the glass fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRG) rapid-wall technology has been used in the 13,700-sq.ft. FHC, besides eliminating bricks, blocks, timber, and plasterboard linings. It has an advanced laboratory and a modern imaging department. Moreover, there are 15 oxygen concentrators and a stabilisation unit to attend to patients suffering from low oxygen saturation.

The FHC has an emergency room, a mini operation theatre, doctors’ consulting rooms, nurses’ station, medical store, vaccine store, sample collection centre, vision and dental clinics, and a special zone for mother and child, pregnant women, and the elderly. The second floor has a conference hall, apart from administrative offices.

“It has an exclusive OP for pregnant women and the elderly. Before the floods, the centre used to take care of 75,000 patients a year. The upgraded FHC is equipped with facilities to attend to around two lakh patients a year,” said District Medical Officer K. Sakeena. “The FHC is also expected to strengthen our relentless efforts in battling the pandemic,” she added.

The floods of 2018 and 2019 had severely crippled the government’s efforts in upgrading primary health centres (PHCs) to FHCs under the Aardram Mission. Dr. Shamsheer lent not only his firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, but also his expertise in the health sector. The Vazhakkad FHC matches international specifications for primary care.

As many as 40 students of architecture from Government Engineering College, Thrissur, lent their support in the construction of the centre. For them, it was a great learning experience as well. “We wanted all the members of the community to be part of the initiative. Experts from different fields along with the local population had come together to make this endeavour a success. The participation and involvement of people from different walks of life has added value to the project. And, the result is visible. The credit also belongs to people who have selflessly associated with us,” said Dr. Shamsheer.

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