BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stations at Majestic and Yeshwantpur will have free clinics soon.
BMTC Chairman M Nagaraju Yadav told Express that the final designs were being approved. These clinics are being funded under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) under the Health Department.
The clinics will be open from 9am to 5pm, and will have a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, and a group D employee. The clinic will also have a pharmacy. This is aimed at benefitting 36,000 BMTC employees and more than 5 lakh commuters who use BMTC buses at Kempegowda bus station alone every day.
State Nodal Officer for NUHM S M Sridhar said each clinic would approximately cost Rs 9 lakh and would spread over 550 sqft.
Nagaraju said, “Our employees are unhappy with the reimbursement system. They get treated at various empanelled referral hospitals and are not satisfied with the bill settlement. We are planning to set up a super speciality hospital too. We want them to have a doctor at bus stands for minor ailments. Even commuters should have immediate medical help at bus stations. BMTC ferries at least 50 lakh people every day to various destinations in the city.”
“Bus station like Shivajinagar has Bowring hospital right next to it but bus stations like the one in Kengeri has no medical help. Our operations stop by 10pm. So once we see the functioning of the 9 to 5 clinic, we will request for night shift doctor if needed. The BMTC has no funds to spend for this on its own. The Health Department came forward to sponsor,” he said.
NUHM state programme officer S Raghavendra told Express, “Our engineering team is in touch with BMTC. We are yet to sign an MoU and begin construction.”