Soon, MCG to make healthcare services in Ggn affordable

GURUGRAM: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram will soon be setting up pharmacy outlets and diagnostic centres in the city.

The main objective of MCG in setting up the pharmacy outlets and diagnostic centres is to provide affordable medical services in the city.

With lack of Governmentoperated medical facilities in the city, most of the patients are dependent on the private facilities for medicines and medical tests.

High prices and poor service continue to be major complaints of the patients who have to rely on private system for healthcare facilities.

Most of the private diagnostic centres have also been penalised by the government agencies in the past for overcharging the patients especially during times of dengue outbreak in the city.

To overcome these major healthcare challenges, MCG will be providing land for Amrit pharmacy centres, which will provide affordable drugs.

The officials of MCG have also started speaking with various service providers who can collaborate with the Government body in setting up of diagnostic centres in the city.

The first Amrit pharmacy store is expected to be set up at Civil Hospital in the city. The officials of MCG also plan to set up diagnostic centres in the areas that are accessible to the patients.

According to sources in MCG, at present there is no definite figure of how many pharmacy centres and diagnostic centres will be set up in the city.

Sources, however, indicated that the plan is to have these medical services in every four zones of Gurugram.

While MCG will be initially providing the medical services in the city, it may even extend it to the outskirts of Gurugram.

“Expensive healthcare services are one of the major challenges in Gurugram. Today, large number of patients are utilising public healthcare services in Gurugram. Unfortunately, with lack of Government-aided diagnostic centres and pharmacy outlets, most of these patients have no choice but to pay huge amounts.

“Taking cognisance of these challenges, the MCG has decided to set up pharmacy outlets which will provide affordable drugs and diagnostic centres,” said MCG Commissioner V Umashankar.

“We will soon be setting up Amrit Pharmacy centre near the Civil Hospital. We are in talks with various people who can collaborate with us for setting up the diagnostic centres across various parts of Gurugram and provide affordable tests,” added the MCG Commissioner.