Health minister Ma Subramanian inaugurated an emergency care and recovery centre for homeless people with mental illnesses in Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Sunday.

COIMBATORE: Health minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday inaugurated a scheme to provide somatrogon — a medication — to children with growth disorders in Tamil Nadu. Also, the minister inaugurated an emergency care and recovery centre (ECRC) for homeless people with mental illnesses in Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). The ECRC is established at a cost of Rs 8 lakh.Speaking after the inauguration, the minister said the growth hormone medication scheme, worth Rs 13.28 crore, was launched to benefit children with developmental deficiencies. “Depending on each child’s growth pattern, these medications need to be administered continuously for one to two years to support healthy development,” he said.Emergency mental health services for mentally ill individuals without family support are operational in 16 locations in the state. “In Coimbatore district, an upgraded emergency care and recovery centre with 15 beds has been launched with the support of a voluntary organisation to assist homeless individuals with mental health conditions,” he added.The minister said the installation of a cath lab and a new MRI scanner at CMCH has benefited people in the district and surrounding areas. “Due to the enhancement of various medical facilities, the hospital now sees a daily influx of 4,500 to 5,000 outpatients,” he said.Under the initiative of the district collector, the department of public health and preventive medicine, along with the District Blindness Prevention Society, had conducted 16 special eye examination camps since April in regions such as Madukkarai, Thondamuthur, Negamam, Karamadai, Sarkarsamakulam, Sultanpet, Valparai, Periyanaickenpalayam, and Annur, the minister said.“A total of 3,330 individuals benefited from these camps. Among them, 204 were identified with cataracts, and 139 underwent cataract surgery in CMCH to restore their vision. The remaining 65 are under continuous observation. Additionally, 496 elderly people with vision impairments were identified, and 50 were provided with eyeglasses with the assistance of the Coimbatore Rotary Club,” he added.