Hyderabad’s Basti Dawakhanas network to expand today

Hyderabad: Today, the Basti Dawakhanas, or neighbourhood clinics, network in Hyderabad and its suburbs will be expanded. The State government will open 32 Basti Dawakhanas on Friday to improve the healthcare facilities for economically challenged people. Another 92 Dawakhanas are undergoing various stages of completion.

These are in addition to the 226 Basti Dawakhanas now in operation, with the government expecting to run 350 such facilities within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area. Seven of the 92 planned ones are now under development, with 35 sites specified. The remaining 50 are in the early stages of development.

The 32 clinics that will be inaugurated on Friday will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Sunday. According to GHMC authorities, the daily number of persons using free healthcare services at each of these Dawakhanas ranged from 70 to 150, depending on the season and area.

According to a media release from GHMC, “Basthi Dawakhanas in the GHMC limits were established to meet the healthcare needs of the urban population with the focus on urban poor. These clinics have ensured essential primary health care services for free.”

These clinics include services such as OPD consultation, teleconsultation, basic lab diagnosis, treatment of minor illnesses, and immunisation. Other services provided include prenatal and postnatal care, family planning, and screening for anaemia, blood pressure, and blood sugar. These neighbourhood clinics will also organize cancer awareness and other programmes.