File picture of J Jayalalithaa
With an eye on elections due next year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has announced a health check-up programme for women in the state, promising the best of medical diagnostic facilities for free.
While the 'Amma Women Master Health Check-Up' scheme, which bear the same brand as Amma canteens set up by her government, will offer a full range of diagnostic facilities for less than a thousand rupees, individual tests will be done for free.
These will include tests for cervical cancer, digital mammogram, para-thyroid harmony and bone marrow diagnostics besides blood and urinary sugar.
The all-round health check-up that can cost anything between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 at private hospitals will be available at public health centres across 385 wards for a nominal fee, Ms Jayalalithaa said.
Amma canteens, built on the name Ms Jayalalithaa is popular among her supporters by, have been known so well in Tamil Nadu for offering affordable meals that the model has been replicated by other states including Delhi and Uttarakhand.
Speaking in the assembly today, the chief minister said that she has allotted Rs 10 crore for the purchase of special equipment for the programme.
She also announced a programme to provide safe transport to young mothers with their newborns to their homes. Fifty old ambulances will be replaced with new ones at a cost of Rs 5 crore for this.
In all, the state government announced health schemes worth Rs 500 crore today, which will also include a cancer institute that will be built at an expense of Rs 120 crore.
The clutch of health schemes also follow huge speculation last month that the Chief Minister wasn't keeping well, drawing barbs from rival parties.