‘May I Help You’ counters to come up in PHCs in Tamil Nadu

File photo of an Urban Primary Health Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Image used for representational purposes
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

All Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Tamil Nadu should have ‘May I Help You’ counters and must create a patient-friendly ambience that should include accessibility features for persons with disability.

Issuing guidelines for a “patient-centric approach”, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has told its District Health Officers (DHO) that such an approach at PHCs is crucial for providing quality care and ensuring a positive experience for patients. All DHOs should ensure that PHCs have ‘May I Help You’ boards and counters in place at the outpatient hall.

The counters should be managed by friendly, trained, and empathetic staff members or volunteers. They should be familiar with the PHC services, procedures, and staff. Clear signages with essential information on PHC services and timings, staff directories, important phone numbers, and extensions should also be in place. The signages should be in local languages and braille, if possible, the directorate said in its latest guidelines.

The PHCs should have a computer with internet connectivity for generating outpatient slips and accessing patient records (with privacy and security measures). The facilities should have printers too. To ensure patient support, the centres should have comfortable seating and waiting areas, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, wheelchair or mobility aid, basic first aid kit, and information brochures or leaflets on various health topics.

There should be digital display screens for queue management, health awareness messages, PHC announcements, and mobile charging points or power banks. A feedback mechanism with a suggestion box or feedback form and regular patient satisfaction surveys should be taken up. To ensure that the centres are accessible, there should be ramps or elevators for easy access, audio announcements or visual displays for visually challenged patients, and sign language interpreters or braille material, if possible.

The directorate said that by incorporating these components, the counters can effectively support patients, streamline processes, and enhance the overall experience at PHCs.