Primary health centres may start giving out treatment at just Re 1, and offer heavy discounts on blood tests
A One Rupee Clinic at Ghatkopar railway station
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After the newly opened One Rupee Clinics at several railway stations got a good response, patients can now avail themselves of the same benefits at primary health centres (PHCs) in association with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Dr Rahul Ghule, former medical officer at Arthur Road Jail and the brainchild behind the clinic, has sought permission from the BMC commissioner for the initiative that will help patients coming from poor economic backgrounds.
The letter, a copy of which is available with mid-day, says, “We are eager to start One Rupee Clinic services at health posts and dispensaries under the jurisdiction of the BMC that would benefit slumdwellers.”
Due to a crunch of doctors, many primary health centres suffer. There are around 300 such centres in Mumbai, of which, 50 are in abysmal conditions. Dr Ghule wants to utilise the infrastructure by starting the clinics, where patients are administered treatment just at a cost of R1, and would also be able to get diagnostics done at the cheapest price.
So, how would it work if the BMC itself fails to provide the adequate amount of medical strength?
“Many doctors don’t like to work in primary health centres located in far-off areas so we have plans to hire doctors only from those specific areas. It would be great if we could use the already constructed structures of BMC,” said Dr Ghule.
BMC provides around Rs 70,000 to doctors to practise in these centres. But these clinics would charge only R50,000 from the BMC. “For all PHCs, the BMC allocates stipulated sums for doctors. So, they don’t have to allocate extra money for the clinics,” said Dr Ghule.
So far, the four clinics at Dadar, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Vikhroli stations have treated more than 1,000 patients. The railway clinic has tied up with a diagnosis centre to provide blood tests, and body profiling at a discounted rate.
“When any medical emergency occurs, a patient first rushes to a PHC, but due to lack of doctors, they are sent to far-off tertiary hospitals. This delays treatment. It is a good move to strengthen such centres and provide treatment and diagnosis at a cheap price,” said Dr Ravikant Singh, a health activist.
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