Karnataka gets 114 Namma clinics, more to follow

Bengaluru: In keeping with the plan of launching 'Namma Clinics' in the state in a phased manner, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai launched 114 Namma clinics simultaneously in different districts across the state in the presence of Health Minister K Sudhakar.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported about the delay in the project due to a shortage of doctors and the launch of 438 Namma clinics in a phased manner in which Health Minister K Sudhakar in an interview said that 100 Namma Clinics would be launched in rural areas by December 14. And in the first week of January, another 100 will be opened in Bengaluru. By the end of January, all 438 clinics in the state will start functioning.

Also read- Shortage Of Doctors: Karnataka Namma Clinics To Be Launched In Phased Manner

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated a Namma Clinic at Bhairidevarakoppa in Hubballi of Dharwad district in the presence of Health Minister K Sudhakar, among others.

Twelve types of health services will be available at these centres free of cost, and each clinic will consist of a medical officer, a nurse, a lab technician, and a Group D employee, an official statement said earlier.

The project was announced by State Health Minister K Sudhakar to address the healthcare needs of the poor, especially people falling below the poverty line and people living in huts.

Each Namma Clinic is expected to cater to 10,000 to 20,000 people. The 12 kinds of services include pregnancy, postnatal, neonatal care, childhood and adolescent care, universal immunisation services, family welfare, contraceptive, infectious disease management, standard and minor ailment care, and diabetes.

Speaking at the occasion, Bommai informed The Indian Express "Namma Clinics will provide different health services under one roof. These clinics will provide better healthcare services to the poor, lower middle-class people living in urban areas, daily wage workers and migrant workers. A separate grant will be set aside in the state budget for the upgradation of 'Namma Clinics' across the state. With an aim to provide primary treatment for the poor, 438 'Namma Clinics' are being established across the state. Even telemedicine systems will be linked."

Present at the occasion, state health minister Dr K Sudhakar said, "The simultaneous inauguration of 114 'Namma Clinics' in the first phase is a major milestone in our endeavour of ensuring Universal Primary Healthcare Coverage and providing comprehensive primary care with preventive and promotive healthcare, especially to the urban poor. No government has ever inaugurated 114 clinics in one go. Earlier, the poor had to go to district hospitals for minor issues like fever, cough and cold. But now, they can visit these clinics and get free treatment."

Also read- Karnataka: Govt To Set Up 438 Namma Clinics