Fri Feb 28 15:14:30 UTC 2025: ## Puducherry Launches Mega Health Festival

**Puducherry, February 28, 2025** – A three-day mega health festival commenced Friday in Puducherry, offering free public health services to residents. The initiative, organized by the Health and Family Welfare department at Kamarajar Manimandapam, aims to raise awareness about government health schemes and improve access to healthcare, particularly for marginalized communities.

Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, inaugurating the festival, praised Puducherry’s progress in implementing health programs but stressed the need for sustained public awareness campaigns to maximize their impact. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the territory’s advancements in accessible healthcare while highlighting the need to address manpower shortages within the sector and establish more advanced medical facilities to reduce reliance on outside institutions like Chennai’s hospitals. He cited bureaucratic hurdles as a factor slowing down the filling of vacant positions. The Chief Minister also emphasized the importance of preventative healthcare and wellness.

The festival, running until March 2nd (3 PM – 9 PM daily), provides a wide range of services including screenings and consultations for various diseases (oral, breast, and cervical cancer; obesity; diabetes; blood pressure), along with X-rays, ECGs, ultrasounds, and blood tests. Specialists will be available for consultations across numerous medical fields, from cardiology to child healthcare, as well as ENT and ophthalmology. An accompanying health exhibition will showcase national health schemes, AYUSH treatments, and promote healthy dietary habits. The Lt. Governor and Chief Minister also presented certificates to teachers and volunteers for their contributions to the DREAMS 24 dengue awareness campaign.

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