Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has extended its own deadlines for starting the ‘Hinduhridayasamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Health Centres' across the city. Earlier, it was to be started on ‘Independence Day’ but now the civic body has decided to make it functional by the second week of September.
Officials have attributed this to the logistics work and they have not received an expression of interest (EOI). The civic body had made a provision of Rs 250 crores for the capital expenditure and Rs 150 crores for the revenue expenditure on this project that aims to boost the city’s healthcare at the primary level.
“The function of HBT clinic will take more time as they have recently invited the expression of interest which will take time. Moreover, we required specialized doctors for polyclinics and MBBS doctors at clinics which will be set up in slums. So once everything is in place the clinics will be functional by mid-September,” said Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner. Meanwhile, the health experts said though the civic body has come up with the new concept of setting up polyclinics, it should have been started before the monsoon considering there will be a surge in diseases and these clinics should have played a major role in providing treatment.
“It has been fixed after declaring the establishment of 100 polyclinics also referred to as ‘Hinduhridayasamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Health for the budget was declared on February 3. But still, Mumbaikars are waiting to see it functioning and we all hope at least it starts in September,” said an expert. The HBT clinic will handle common ailments, but if the problem is a bit severe and needs the expertise of a gynaecologist or paediatrician, MD medicine, dermatologist, cardiologist, etc., then patients will be referred to the nearest HBT polyclinic. The polyclinics are presently looking forward to hiring ENT specialists, ophthalmologists, paediatricians, gynaecologists and obstetricians, general physicians, orthopaedics and dermatologists along with physiotherapists.
