Kerala: Group for women's welfare to set up wellness centres across state

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s woman neighbourhood network Kudumbashree will soon be foraying into the health sector by opening a string of wellness centres across the state to provide solutions for various health problems under one roof.

The project will be implemented in tie-up with the Centre’s scheme Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).

The wellness centres, to be opened in major cities and towns, will have facilities ranging from gymnasium and yoga classes to tele medicine kiosks and organic vegetable outlets.

People availing the services at the centres can get training for yoga and work-out in the health clubs under expert trainers at an affordable rate.

The tele-medicine kiosks will help people to communicate with eminent doctors in leading hospitals in and outside the state through video-conferencing and seek their medical opinion, Kudubashree’s Executive Director KB Valsala Kumari said.

“The wellness centres are planned with an aim to achieve comprehensive health for all. Expert trainers will be roped in for gym and yoga training,” she told PTI.

“Organic vegetables, produced by our own ‘samghakrisi’ (collective farming) groups, will be sold through the centre’s outlets. We also plan to enter into tie-ups with top hospitals like AIIMS, Apollo and Narayana Hrudayalaya to enlist services of their doctors for our tele medicine kiosks,” she said.

The project is to be implemented under the Central government scheme Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) which seeks to provide employment to the urban poor, unemployed or under-employed.

“Seventy five per cent of the total investment will be the Union Government fund while 25 per cent will be by Kudumbashree. All major forms of medical systems, including Allopathy, Homeopathy and Ayurveda are planned to be used in the centres,” she said.

About 20 wellness centres are planned to be opened in the initial phase at an average investment of Rs 10 lakh for each. A group of five Kudumbashree volunteers will run each such centre.

The processes of identifying expert trainers, stakeholders and suitable location are progressing in a majority of towns, she said.

“The first wellness centre is likely to come up at Karunagappally. Kudumbashree volunteers there have already identified an ideal location and building for the centre,” Valsala Kumari added.

PTI