HYDERABAD: Telangana Health department is going to establish three Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Secunderabad Cantonment area. Currently, for 3.15 lakh people in the Cantonment area, there are only two PHCs including an e-Vaidhya operating in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) setting in Rasoolpura.
While Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) chief executive officer SVR Chandra Sekhar said that there are five PHCs in the cantonment area, Hyderabad’s District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr J Venkat said that there are only two PHCs while three other are dispensaries. The Health official said that the proposal to establish three PHCs are Trimulgherry, Bollarum and Picket, has been approved. Ideally, one PHC has to be available per 50,000 population. Going by the number of PHCs mentioned by DMHO, the Cantonment area is running short of at least four PHCs.
Apart from immunisation such as Pulse Polio, Tuberculosis Control Programme, Family Planning, Mother and Child Health services, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) screening and others too are implemented by doctors and health staff at PHCs. “We will be able to implement national health schemes such as immunisation programmes if the health centres are established there,” Dr Venkat said.
The Health Official said that they would start recruiting doctors and health staff after space for the health centres is allotted. A doctor, two nurses, five Auxilliary Nursing Midwives (ANM), a lab technician and Pharmacist are posted at each PHC. Apart from Out-Patient services for minor health issues, laboratory to collect samples for tests too are available at Health Centres.