Hyderabad: The GHMC has decided to keep its basti dawakhanas open in the evening, after running a trial in three areas.
Considering the working hours of the slum dwellers whom the basti dawakhanas serve, the civic body along with Hyderabad’s district medical and health officer took the initiative to operate the basti dawakhanas during from 6 pm to 9 pm with specialists.
A senior GHMC official said that the basti dawakhana near Kacheguda had been receiving overwhelming response. In view of this, evening services were extended two urban primary health centres near Osmania University campus and Che Number crossroads.
The official said that the corporation in co-ordination with DMHO had deployed a gynaecologist and a paediatrician at the Kacheguda hospital where over 200 people have been visiting on daily basis in the evening.
He said that though duty doctors will be available in the morning, specialists will be available in the evening. “Going by the response to the hospitals near OU Campus and Che Number Crossroads, services will be extended to the evening in the remaining 147 basti dawakhanas in the city,” the official added.
This initiative is a joint collaboration by the GHMC and the Centre, which has allocated Rs 1,200 crore for health and wellness centres under the Ayushm-an Bharat programme. The project establishes health centres at areas which lack urban primary health centres (UPHC). It also aims to reduce the burden on tertiary hospitals like OGH, Niloufer and Gandhi Hospital, etc.
