Hyderabad: In order to provide healthcare services to urban poor, the Government of Telangana has established 256 Basti Dawakhanas in urban slums with each Dawa khana providing services to 5,000 to 10,000 persons.
These centers provide 53 different kinds of free health services including outpatient consultation, medicines, basic lab diagnosis, antenatal and postnatal care, and screening for non-communicable diseases. Specialist consultation is also provided at Basti Dawakhanas through Telemedicine, a Dawa khana doctor said.
Locals said that Basti Dawakhana is really helpful to them, especially for poor people who cannot afford private hospitals. The doctors here are providing good treatment with required medicines and have covered max health issues.
Speaking to ANI, a patient, Mohd Abdul Razak, said, “I am coming here for treatment for the last two years. Here everyone, from children to elders is getting free of cost treatment. Telangana Government is provident good service. We are thankful to the KCR government for giving medical assistance to nearby our houses.”
Another patient, Ali Bin Sayeed said, “We are getting treatments for Cough, fever, and cold. The Doctors here are good and humble. They give a response immediately. The state government is really doing good work.”
Basti Dawakhanas reduces travel and waiting for the time for patients, as well as the out-of-pocket expenditure for patients by serving as an efficient platform for convergence with other NHM programmes, and reducing the burden on secondary and tertiary health care facilities.
Doctor of Rainbazar Basti Dawakana, Dr. Farah Naaz said, “This Dawa khana was started in February 2020. I have been appointed here from day one. The main purpose of this Basti Dawakana is to provide the nearest services for minor issues like fever, cold, cough, and non-communicable diseases like BP, sugar, and thyroid. Patients need to go to Osmania or Gandhi hospital for these minor issues. To avoid that, government is providing the services in the local areas.”
She said that free medicines and lab tests are provided to all the patients who come to the Dawa khana. Patients with Gynecological issues are also treated there and for issues like BP, Sugar, 350 patients are given medication on monthly basis.”
“I am available here from 9 am to 4 pm every day. We have basic things like outpatient (OP) lab services where 30 to 35 tests are done. Telangana government has started teleconsultation, which is a boon for the people over here. We make them talk to the consultant, dermatologist, General physician, General surgeon,” the doctor added.
She said that people coming to the Dawa khana are generally very poor, they cannot afford private hospitals. The state government has started new services, to provide medicines and treatments on Sundays as well. So, the patients who cannot come on weekdays can get their checkups done between 9 am and 2 pm on Sundays. “
Every day we treat 80 to 150 patients and provide lab services for 25 to 30 samples daily in this Dawakana. If any medicine or treatment is not available here, we make the patients talk to the consultants online. We have the app of teleconsultation by which we make them talk to a consultant. But, usually, the patients are treated at the sub-central level only.” she said.
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