Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Comissioner Shekhar Singh said that the civic body is set to launch 'Nagri Arogyavardhini Kendras' and 'Vandaniya Balasaheb Thackrey Aapla Dawakhana (Smart Clinics)' at 40 locations throughout the city.
This initiative, under the National Health Mission, aligns with PCMC's commitment to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to all residents.
Singh highlighted that the initiative is a crucial step forward in the concerted efforts to make healthcare accessible and affordable for all residents of Pimpri Chinchwad.
Meanwhile, Singh also convened a meeting last week with medical department officials to discuss potential sites for a burns ward in the industrial city.
Burns wards in in Akurdi
During the meeting, it was decided that the burns ward would either be established at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) or Akurdi Hospital, with a final decision scheduled for next week. However, Akurdi Hospital is currently the frontrunner as it is less crowded compared to YCMH.
This comes after Bhosari MLA Mahesh Landge's urgent plea for a dedicated burns facility during his address at the ongoing state legislature's winter session. He highlighted a tragic fire incident at a Talawade candle manufacturing unit, particularly expressing concern for the women workers' lives lost. Landge emphasised Pimpri-Chinchwad's expanding population, now exceeding 30 lakh, stressing the need for a dedicated burns facility in response to this growth.
"I join other local representatives in urging the state government to instruct the PCMC Commissioner to prioritise the establishment of this crucial healthcare facility," Landge asserted, underscoring the critical necessity for a burns hospital in the region.
He mentioned previous plans for a burns ward at the Thergaon Municipal Hospital, which were halted due to the pandemic redirecting the hospital's focus entirely to COVID-19 patients. Consequently, the burns ward establishment was overlooked by the administration, he added.
Following his address in the winter session, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader presented Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with a demand letter, pressing for immediate action in establishing a burns facility in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
