Posted: Post Date – 11:45pm, Wed – Nov 9th 22
On average, each Basthi Dawakhana welcomes at least 5,000 to 10,000 people and offers free doctor consultations, free diagnostic tests and medicines. – Photo: Anand Dharmana
Hyderabad: The State Health Department continues its efforts to provide quality healthcare services to the urban poor, with the aim of launching 41 more Basthi Dawakhanas in Hyderabad by December this year.
The additional 41 Basthi Dawakhanas will bring the total number of such facilities in Hyderabad to nearly 300 as part of the state government’s master plan to activate at least 288 in 141 cities in Telangana over the next few years. such a facility.
The concept of Basthi Dawakhanas was developed on the basis of low-cost urban health clinics that focus on providing free quality healthcare and diagnostic services to the urban poor, especially daily punters, migrant workers and their families. The response to the Basthi Dawakhanas in Hyderabad since the first such facility was launched in 2018-19 has been very encouraging, prompting the health sector to continue adding more facilities not only in Hyderabad but in various regions, albeit in the form of Palle Dawakhanas form.
At a recent review meeting, Health Minister T Harish Rao said that by December 31, the Ministry of Health will be able to add 41 more Basthi Dawakhans in districts under the GHMC. The minister also noted that another 13 T-Diagnostic central hubs supporting Basthi and Palle Dawakhanas in Telangana will also be ready in the coming months.
Typically, Basthi Dawakhana is located very close to slum settlements, which reduces the travel time of local residents and is the main reason why they are very popular in Hyderabad. On average, each facility accommodates at least 5,000 to 10,000 people and offers free doctor consultations, free diagnostic tests and medications.
Almost all Basthi Dawakhanas in Telangana are connected in a hub-and-spoke model to T-Diagnostics central laboratory centres, which receive blood samples from patients for testing. In Hyderabad, the Central T Diagnostic Centre is located at the Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) in Narayanguda, which recently received NABL accreditation.
To further enhance diagnosis in government hospitals, the state government is setting up another 13 T-Diagnostic Central laboratories in Telangana. Between 2017 and October 2022, there are already 20 such T-Diagnostic central hubs serving 3.6 million patients and conducting 6.5 million tests.
