Urban Family Welfare Center

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Established: 1964

The Urban and Family Welfare Centre was started in a small thatched hut in1964 in Mangalapuram, one of the biggest slums in Chennai. (at Mangalapuram). Since its inception, it has slowly and steadily expanded and now caters to the vital needs of women and children of this area.The Centre is allotted a population of over 50,000 spread across Chetpet, TP Chatram, and Kilpauk Garden.

The Centre takes care mainly of the maternity and family welfare needs of the population of nearby slums and the lower income groups of these areas. There are three field workers who are supervised by a health visitor. These field workers provide ante-natal and post-natal care and extend medical assistance at the doorstep for women and newborn infants. Immunisation sessions are conducted on Wednesdays at pre-planned sites in the different slums. The Medical Officer conducts outpatients’ sessions daily for those who come to the hospital.

Family Planning Services such as Copper-T insertion, distribution of oral pills and condoms to the identified eligible couples is done at the Health Post level. Proper record maintenance and stock registers are updated. Mothers who have completed their families are motivated and referred to Corporation Zones for interval sterilisation.

The Centre also conducts the Pulse Polio Programme every year. In each round 9 immunisation posts are set up in the surrounding localities for the convenience of the mothers. Every round covers nearly five thousand children between the ages of 0 – 5 years. 2 rounds of Polio vaccines are administered to all children under 5 years. Every year, the Centre also conducts National Deworming Day, Vitamin A camp and School Health camps.

Since 2021, COVID vaccination camps have also been set up by the Centre at their premises in Mangalapuram as well as at different Corporation, government and private schools.

In 1998, the Ramalingam Medical Laboratory was started in the same campus at Mangalapuram with the help of a donation from Ms. Jessie Rosemarie (Denmark). At the laboratory basic tests are conducted at a very nominal cost for the underprivileged.

Jessie Rekha married Saravanan in 1999. Despite treatment at many hospitals, she was unable to have a child. She was desperate and depressed as she constantly faced insults from relatives and neighbours. Finally with little hope she came to the Urban Family Welfare Centre, Mangalpuram and started taking treatment.

After undergoing treatment at the Mangalapuram hospital, she conceived and gave birth to a baby boy in December 2004. Since she and her husband were keen on a second child, she came for treatment again and this time was blessed with a baby girl in November 2006.

Shanthi had 3 miscarriages and did not have any living child. Despondent and depressed, she came to know about UFWC and walked in to the Mangalapuram hospital with little hope.

The doctor treated her and when she conceived again, she was given special course of treatment for her pregnancy. Her joy knew no bounds when she delivered a baby boy. After seven years, she conceived again and returned to Mangalapuram hospital for treatment. The second time she was blessed with a baby girl.