HYDERABAD: Taking healthcare services to the grassroots, the state government on Friday set up 17 Basti
Dawakhanas (Mohalla Clinics) in the city.
Services provided at these Mohalla Clinics will be free of cost, with no charges even for medicines. The clinics are mostly located in slums and are outpatient clinics. Medicines available here will be primary medicines.
Taking a cue from Mohalla clinics in Delhi, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) along with Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare, Telangana, started the services in the city.
While municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) minster
KT Rama Rao inaugurated the Mohalla clinic in BJR Nagar in Malkajgiri, health minister Dr C Laxma Reddy and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party chief Asaduddin Owaisi inaugurated clinics located in Hashamabad, Falaknuma, and Gaddiannaram Basthi in Malakpet.
“The government is planning to set up 1,000 more such clinics,” said Rama Rao. He said eye screening tests are an important health care initiative and every citizen will be screened and treated accordingly.
Besides the 17 that became functional, another 40 will be operational within in a month confirmed GHMC officials. Each clinic will have a doctor, staff nurse and an assistant.
The aim of setting up these clinics is to provide basic clinical outpatient services and build referral linkage between the
Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC’s) and other major health facilities.
Services provided in these clinics will include OPD (consultation), basic lab diagnosis, drug or contraceptive dispensing, treatment of acute simple illness, immunization services, family planning, counselling and contraception services. Screening for anaemia, non-communicable disease such as blood pressure, blood sugar will also be taken care of at these clinics apart from cancer health promotion activities.
Most of these clinics have been set up in GHMC community halls located in slums. Depending on spatial distribution of the population, the
Basthi Dawakhana will cater to approximately 5,000-10,000 people. “We will keep mind places where people don’t have access to UPHC’s and other major health facilities such as area hospitals. The most vulnerable points where poor population lives will be identified,” said Vakati Karuna, commissioner of health and family welfare.
As per Rajiv Avaas Yojana (RAY) survey in 2015, GHMC reported 1,451 slums (986 notified slums and 465 non-notified). GHMC has 145 approved UPHCs out of that 112 are functioning.
