After many gruelling roadshows ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections, then DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, addressing the party’s Medical wing conference in Coimbatore had advocated a National Health Policy to provide quality health care to people and if the DMK voted to power.

As destiny had it otherwise, Mr Stalin had to wait for five years to give shape to his dreams after assuming office as Chief Minister on May 7. And within 100 days, he launched Healthcare at doorsteps – the flagship scheme to ensure quality healthcare to the people.

At the Medical wing meeting, Mr Stalin detailed the proposed National Health Policy stating, “With new diseases emerging, affecting all sections, particularly rural masses, there is an urgent need to evolve a health policy, considering both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.”

Referring to the UN guidelines, which suggested quality and affordable healthcare to all by 2030, Mr Stalin had said that the DMK after coming to power, would roll out many more such schemes.

And when he inaugurated the ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ – an innovative initiative to provide healthcare services to the people at their doorsteps at Samanapalli Village in Krishnagiri district, he realised his dreams.

The scheme, inaugurated in eight districts in the first phase, would change the mode of preliminary healthcare delivery by taking it to the doorsteps of the people, Mr Stalin said.

Under the scheme, those above 45 years of age and others with infirmities would be screened through door-to-door check-ups. The scheme has also been designed to detect non-communicable diseases that may lead to sudden mortalities and impact people’s quality of life. Women public health workers, women health volunteers (WHV), physiotherapists, and nurses are being involved in providing healthcare at the doorsteps of the people, Mr Stalin said.

The scheme was simultaneously launched in Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Chennai Salem districts with a cumulative allocation of Rs 258 crore and targeted coverage of One crore people from 30 lakh families. “This is the major healthcare scheme of the DMK government and Chief Minister,” Health Minister Ma Subramanian said.

More than 1,200 health workers, 50 physiotherapists, and 50 nurses have been appointed to implement the scheme, he said adding the Government, by the end of this year, is planning to implement the scheme across the state after inducting about 25,000 healthcare workers.

Mr Stalin said through the scheme, people in rural areas would be screened for high blood pressure and diabetes, which go largely undetected in the villages. The needy would be given monthly medicines, he said adding the scheme also includes screening of kidney ailments and congenital defects in children and will follow up through hospital treatment. “Portable dialysis machines will be pressed into the service to provide treatment to those suffering from kidney ailments,” the Chief Minister said.

As former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had also rolled out several such healthcare schemes during his tenures and Mr Stalin rightly chose the late leader’s 98th birth anniversary on June 3 to lay the foundation stone for the construction of Multi-Speciality Hospital at King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Guindy. The government proposed to build the 500-bed hospital with an outlay of Rs 250 crores.

Mr Stalin held the Doctors in high esteem was evident when he, on National Doctors’ Day, commended the services of doctors in containing the spread of Covid-19 during the second wave of the pandemic in the state. Acknowledging their continued services, he told the Doctors, “You take care of the people and the Government will take care of you.”

Recognising the services of the Government employees as well, the DMK government had issued an order for implementing the New Health Insurance Scheme, 2021, for the employees and their family members. The scheme will cover 203 approved treatments and surgeries at 1,169 empanelled hospitals for workers of government departments, State public sector undertakings, statutory boards, local bodies and government bodies among others.