Govt plans to open 300 Basthi Dawakhanas in city: KTR

Hyderabad: The Telangana government's initiative to provide free primary health services in the city by setting up Basthi Dawakhanas has met with success and the government now plans to increase the number of these health centres to 300, the state minister for municipal administration and urban development, KTR, said on 28 August.

At present, there are 197 Basthi Dawakhanas that provide 53 types of free services such as OPD consultation, basic lab diagnosis, free medicines, antenatal and postnatal care, and screening for non-communicable diseases.

Each Basthi Dawakhana sees over 100 outpatients a day and nearly 25,000 people seek treatment at these centres daily.

KTR, during a review meeting held on Friday, instructed the officials to ensure that every division in the GHMC area which has a huge population of urban poor has one or more Basthi Dawakhanas. He asked the officials to set up 100 more Basthi Dawakhanas and make them operational within the coming two months. He also instructed the officials to set up Dawakhanas at 2BHK Dignity Housing Sites for the convenience of residents.

KTR said that 5,000 diagnostic tests are being conducted at the Dawakhanas and other primary health care centers and the test reports are being sent to the patients on their mobile phones.

Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, Deputy Mayor Baba Fasiuddin, principal secretary Arvind Kumar, GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar, and district collectors attended the meeting.