File Photo: Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender
Hyderabad: With the success of Basthi Dawakhanas in Hyderabad city, Health Minister Eatala Rajender announced that the State government was planning to expand the services of Basthi Dawakhanas to other major cities across the State. The State government is setting up these clinics to cater to the needs of slums with more than 10,000 population.
Speaking in the Assembly during the Questioner Hour on Wednesday, Rajender said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao sanctioned 350 Basthi Dawakhanas for Hyderabad of which around 225 Basthi Dawakhanas have been operationalised. “Considering the rising urban population, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao suggested providing quality health services to the urban poor living in the slums. He suggested studying all health programmes being offered in major cities of the country. Observing that the Delhi government’s Mohalla Clinics were an ideal model to emulate, we launched the Basthi Dawakhanas which are receiving huge response,” he said.
The Health Minister said the Basthi Dawakhanas were strategically located to serve as urban primary healthcare centres for the slum dwellers. These clinics are staffed with a doctor, a staff nurse and an attender, and function from 9 am to 4 pm everyday. “We have already linked these Basthi Dawakhanas with the Telangana Government Diagnostic Centres enabling patients to undergo a wide range of diagnostic tests at free of cost. About Rs 20,000 per month is being spent towards medicines in each clinic,” he added.
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