‘Structure in place, now focus is on enhancing infrastructure’

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to improve the healthcare system of the city, the Delhi government has focussed majorly on providing facilities at the primary level.

The Delhi government set up mohalla clinics and polyclinics for primary and secondary health care treatment to the citizens of Delhi.

In two years, the Delhi government has set up 107 mohalla clinics and 23 polyclinics. With a huge rush of patients being one of the major challenges in Delhi’s hospitals, mohalla clinics and polyclinics have proved very useful for the patients who were dependent on hospitals even for minor ailments.

Further, the Delhi government’s decision of providing free medicines in these healthcare centres has been another major advantage for patients who visit the mohalla clinics and polyclinics.

The setting up of mohalla clinics and polyclinics has brought in a lot of healthcare benefits for the citizens of Delhi, sources from the Delhi government said, adding that the focus will be now to enhance the infrastructure. According to government sources, getting quality staff for the mohalla clinics will be a challenge as the government targets to open about 1,000 mohalla clinics this year.

Sources also mentioned that the focus will also be to bring in more digitisation in the functioning of the mohalla clinics.

“In mohalla clinics, a doctor has to see the patient for at least three minutes. All this gets recorded in the computer device. In mohalla clinics, we pay the doctors in terms of per patient seen. This has incentivised the doctors. We now want to bring in more digitisation in the functioning of the mohalla clinics. We have also reduced our dependence on outsourced IT services and are now trying to build our own IT system,” said a senior official from Delhi State Health Mission who is in charge of mohalla and polyclinics functioning.

“As we plan to expand mohalla clinics, getting quality staff will also be a major challenge,” added the official.

As for the polyclinics, sources in the Delhi government acknowledged that non-presence of X-ray and Ultra sound machines is a major difficulty.

The officials, however, added that more than the machines it was the shortage of radiologists that required to be tackled.

“More than the shortage of machines we are grappling with a shortage of radiologists. To meet the challenge, the

Delhi government has thought about starting a six-month course for the MBBS doctors in radiology. Through this they will at least be able to carry out basic processes required for ultrasound procedures,” added a senior official.