A total of 45 additional Basthi Dawakhanas or neighbourhood clinics have been launched across the city without much fanfare on Friday.
They were launched at Begumpet, Chandrayangutta, Goshamahal, Musheerabad, Jubilee Hills, Malakpet, Mehdipatnam, Yusufguda, Secunderabad, Qutbullahpur, Alwal, Kapra, Moosapet, Gajularamaram, Kukatpally, Chandanagar, Rajendranagar, Hayatnagar, Saroornagar, L.B. Nagar, and R.C.Puram circles, which saw participation by ministers and local representatives.
The clinics have added to the 123 already-existing Dawakhanas and 85 urban health centres, thereby taking the total number to 253 in the city.
Launching the clinics at Sultan Nagar of Erragadda and Yadagiri Nagar of Vengalrao Nagar, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao said that the government aimed to provide quality and accessible primary health services through the clinics.
Mr. Rama Rao inspected the medical facilities at the clinics, and got his body temperature and blood pressure checked. He encouraged people to avoid private clinics and get treatment at Basthi Dawakhanas.
Mayor Bonthu Ram Mohan, while launching the clinics at Parimala Nagar of Kushaiguda and Ashok Nagar at Mallampally, said that the government aimed to reach the target of three Basthi Dawakhanas in each ward.
Samples may be collected at the clinics for diagnosis of 57 kinds of diseases, and sent to the Telangana State Diagnostics for results. More serious cases will be referred from here to the tertiary hospitals for treatment. Besides, the clinics offer 150 kinds of medicines free of cost, he said.
Of the 45 newly-added, 22 are in Hyderabad district, three in Sangareddy, five in Rangareddy, and 15 in Malkajgiri. Roughly, each clinic caters to 5,000 to 10,000 population. The government has issued orders to increase the number to 300, and efforts are on to launch the remaining in three months, a press statement from GHMC informed.
Services at the clinics include OP consultation, tele consultation, basic diagnostic facilities, free medicines, treatment for common fever, immunisation services, care of pregnant women and lactating mothers, counselling for family planning and associated services, tests for anaemia, and screening for blood pressure, blood sugar and cancer.
Each clinic serves about 80 to 90 patients per day, of whom 10 to 20 persons get treated for common fever, and similar number for common cold and cough. About 50 to 60 patients come with complaints of body aches, skin infections and other problems, while 40 to 50 patients benefit from the free diagnostic services, the statement said.
Ministers T. Harish Rao, Sabita Indra Reddy, Eatala Rajender, Malla Reddy, Mohd. Mahmood Ali, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, and Deputy Speaker Padma Rao, besides MLAs of each constituency participated in the launch programmes on Friday.
