Chennai combats monsoon- illnesses through accessible medical camps

Special rain medical camps administered by GCC help in location-based disease identification and disease surveillance

The GCC’s monsoon medical camps help identify illnesses by location and in disease surveillance

November 13, 2022

The routine medical camps conducted every year in all of Chennai’s districts offer accessible medical care to people in rural and flood-affected areas. There is an increase in illnesses during rains and the camps are installed in special zones over above the care provided at primary health centre facilities. 

Over 200 interim medical camps are organised  in November by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), in every ward in Chennai to combat monsoon-related illnesses. The camps offer free medical check-ups and if treatment for the diagnosis cannot be provided at the camp, the person is referred to govt hospitals. . 

According to the community health official  Doctor Hemalatha(CHO) of GCC, routine medical investigations in different parts of Chennai are a cumulative data-keeping process. “We identify illnesses in different cities and wards through these camps.  For instance, there is a rise in the number of skin infection cases in Anna Nagar, and we deal with that problem after the identification process, In case of infections like skin rashes, medical officers at the camp will arrange doctors and medicines and if it’s an indication of any serious illness, patients would be referred to govt hospitals for additional treatment,”, CHO said. 

Camp schedules are arranged by GCC and they gather data on monsoon ailments especially due to vector-borne illnesses every year. The Directorate of Public Health and preventive medicine official who didn’t want to be named said that 1000 camps over  three months are the target this year.

The New Indian Express reports, The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Directorate of Medical Education and Directorate of Medical Services, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Royapettah Government Hospital, Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super-Speciality Hospital in Omandurar treat patients who are being referred from camps. More than 500 people were diagnosed with fever this year, As many as 2000 with the common cold, and over 129 with diarrhea. 

“Chennai corporation’s medical department is one of the biggest medical bodies. In rural areas-- district department will arrange camps and we monitor and report corrections to send to govt, district-level offices and GCC collaborate to organise the camps. Essential drugs like antibiotics are available as an immediate aid at the camps itself, and district-level offices like the ones in Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram document patient records.”said Soundararaj, superintendent of  the Directorate of Epidemiology The data is sent to the state-run -Integrated surveillance system where the database of the outbreaks will be stored. The camps conducted from 9 am to 4 pm in the first week of November recorded over 82,000 people.

According to expert advisor at the state public health centre, Tenyampet, Dr. Shobha, the ongoing camps will be modified and installed in every rainy season despite budgetary constraints due to covid. “There is a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly follow-up. By assessing the gathered data, we alert the government of the need for camps. This is important despite all primary health centers because, we have the data of increasing illnesses in rural areas that need medical care”, she said,

The special medical camps are conducted only during the rainy seasons but follow-ups happen on a regular basis. Medicines will be given at the camps in case of cold, fever, and conjunctivitis, which are the usual cases during the rain. Communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases are detected in the diagnosis process. Chronic illnesses and infections that need additional treatment will be referred to govt multi-specialty hospitals. The camps are usually held for 13-14 days and doctors are allotted routine based. “There was only one day when we needed many doctors and we had to seek help from medical colleges,” the CHO said. 

Health officers from the local administration levels will track the route maps of viral infections and close supervision and medicines will be provided to bring down the cases. “We look through the data from the preceding years and install need-based camps according to the medical aid requirements in the respective zones.” said data controller, Lakshmi of the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS). 

Family welfare department alerts a rise in infections since the covid precautionary protocol isn’t followed like it used to be. “There is a rise in infections, we record these and only the integrated surveillance system can access the data, we do keep a routine check,” an official at the dept said 

There was an increase in cases of conjunctivitis, commonly called Madras eye, over the last week and the state health authorities set up exclusive outpatient wards in the Regional Ophthalmic Institute in Egmore.  “Since there is an increase in infections we conduct these camps, otherwise we do not conduct daily camps. Otherwise, we have 144 primary health centers in Chennai city and patients will come directly to the health facility”, said the deputy commissioner of the health dept.