Hyderabad: Basti Dawakhanas in city to swell to 300 soon

Hyderabad: In order to improve and extend the healthcare services of Basti Dawakhanas to new areas, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is planning to add 37 more state-run clinics. The addition of Davakhanas will take the total number of primary healthcare facilities under the GHMC limits to 300. Since its initiation, around 25,000 beneficiaries have been utilising the services of already existing 263 Basti Dawakhanas in the twin city every day. And with 37 more such clinics, the authorities are hopeful of extending these services to more people in new areas.

As healthcare services and medical treatments are becoming more and more expensive, Basti Dawakhanas are strengthening the healthcare infrastructure for the economically weaker sections of the society, as more and more people are visiting these Dawakhanas, which are generally located in community halls or government buildings. The state government will make 37 Basti Dawakhanas operational. Out of which, 20 clinics are ready to be open to the public. The GHMC has proposed to set up 17 more clinics that are in various stages of being made operational.

According to GHMC officials, Basti Dawakhanas turned a boon for urban poor in twin cities by providing easy access to better medical care. On an average, each Basti Dawakhana receives about 90 to 120 outpatients every day for treatment depending upon season and locality. It provides medical assistance and diagnostic tests. Since the Basti Dawakhanas are receiving good response helping denizens undergo free treatment, the GHMC has decided to extend the services to various areas which lack such facilities.

"These are apart from the 263 Basti Dawakhanas that are already being used by people, with the government planning to operate a total of 350 such facilities under the GHMC limits with 2 clinics in each ward particularly where a substantial number of scheduled castes and tribes, minorities and other poor live. Basti Dawakhanas are a joint endeavour of GHMC and union government, which has allotted Rs 1,200 crore under Ayushman Bharat programme," informed the officials.

These state-run clinics provide 57 medical facilities including out-patient, basic health tests, vaccines, BP, sugar, cancer tests and general awareness on healthcare. Other facilities offered include antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, screening for Anaemia depending on the severity of the health conditions they refer to the government hospitals for better treatment.

The Basti Dawakhana initiative was launched by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in Telangana in April 2018. The main aim of starting Basti Dawakhana is to strengthen primary health care in the State.