Additional medical services and extended time at Primary Health centres under the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) received an overwhelming response from citizens as there is a rise of more than 40 percent more footfalls of patients in the evening at health centres.
In Kharghar primary health centre alone, more than a hundred patients are visiting during the night session.
Primary healthcare centres open till late evening
In order to provide health care facilities among people living in remote areas and return home from work in the evening, in May 2023, the civic chief Ganesh Deshmukh decided to keep Primary Health centres open till late evening.
“The purpose of keeping health centres open till the late evening is to provide medical services to those who cannot come during the day time due to work. Daily wage workers prefer to go to their work as their livelihood depends on their daily income. They can visit health centres after their work,” said a senior civic official.
At present, the facility of night service upto 10 pm is available at three Primary Health Centres and six urban primary health centres. In the coming days, OPD will be conducted through National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) from 10 AM to 2 PM in all Civic Primary Health Centres and Arogyavardhini Centre. Similarly, the OPD in the second or evening session from 2 pm to 10 pm will be conducted through newly recruited officers and staff.
He added the civic body recruited five more employees including one medical officer, one lab technician, one pharmacist, one nurse, and one housekeeping staff for each health centre.
Medical services provided at free of charge
At the primary health centre, medical treatment, consultation and medicines are provided free of charge after getting a case paper by paying just ₹10. Blood and urine tests are also provided free of cost. “This has made the civic primary health centre popular among common citizens. The number of patients in private hospitals is decreasing after PMC started night clinics keeping in mind the convenience of the citizens,” said the official.
Municipal Primary Health Centres provide health consultation, primary health care, emergency services, infectious disease treatment, non-communicable disease treatment, high blood pressure, diabetes screening and prevention control, fever clinic, antenatal care, newborn care, Routine immunization, Covid vaccination, counselling services are provided. Also, a free laboratory test diagnostic scheme is implemented. Medicine services are also provided.
