Maternity and childcare centre at Manapparai GH becomes functional after a long delay

The new maternity and childcare centre at the District Headquarters Government Hospital in Manapparai, a 50-bed facility with modern infrastructure, became functional on October 28, months after it was inaugurated in May this year.

According to an official press release, Tiruchi Collector V. Saravanan visited the new centre on Wednesday to inspect its facilities.

The centre is equipped with operation theatres, a neonatal intensive care unit, a post-operative ward, a labour ward, a scan room, emergency care, a laboratory, rooms for staff nurses, and various other facilities.

“The hospital caters to patients from Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Karur, Dindigul and Madurai districts. At present, we conduct 10-20 deliveries daily. The antenatal outpatients department sees up to 120 cases per day. The high demand for maternity and childcare makes the new centre useful. We have requested for a paediatric ward in the new centre, as it is restricted to neonatal care at present,” P.S. Tamilmani, chief medical officer, told The Hindu.

Construction of the centre was undertaken by the Public Works Department at an estimated budget of ₹10 crore in November 2023. Despite being inaugurated in May, it remained non-operational until this week.

The new centre is expected to significantly improve maternal and child healthcare services in Manapparai and nearby villages while easing the burden on Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi.