BENGALURU: The state cabinet on Friday approved setting up of 438 Namma Clinics across all urban local bodies (ULBs), including Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). In Bengaluru, each ward will have one such clinic. The cabinet also approved recruitment of staff on a temporary basis. Namma Clinics will be on the lines of ‘Mohalla Clinics’ in New Delhi.
The plan to set up 243 Namma Clinics in Bengaluru is aimed at the coming BBMP polls. After the cabinet meeting, Law Minister JC Madhu Swamy said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced in the budget that 438 Urban Health and Wellness Centres (U-HWCs) or Namma Clinics will be started at all ULBs, including BBMP. The works will be taken up under the 15th Finance Commission. “A decision was taken to recruit 438 medical officers, nurses and second division clerks for these centres. These are temporary appointments and the clinics will start functioning immediately,” the minister added.
“The government has estimated that the cost of each clinic will be Rs 36.4 lakh in BBMP limits and Rs 34.4 lakh in ULBs outside BBMP limits. The clinics will treat contagious diseases or any other ailment that needs immediate medical attention. This will help control l diseases at initial stages. The clinics will also reduce the burden on the existing government hospitals. The cabinet cleared Rs 103.73 crore for these clinics,” Madhu Swamy told reporters.
In his budget speech, Bommai had said that Namma Clinics will be set up to ease detection of noncommunicable diseases and refer patients who require additional treatment to specialists.