BENGALURU: A first-of-its-kind comprehensive urban public health centre (UPHC) was inaugurated in Bengaluru on Friday. The hospital will provide all services — virtual clinic, dental services, X-ray, physiotherapy, emergency services etc, with a completely digitised record system, said Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Minister for IT/BT and Higher Education.
Inaugurating the hospital, he said that four similar PHCs are in the pipeline, and are expected to be functional in a month’s time. The idea is to make the centre a ‘one-stop solution’ for all health-related problems at an affordable cost. With schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra and Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka Insurance scheme, qualitative drugs and facilities will be provided to patients at discounted prices.
ABARK provides free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh for BPL cardholders, and 30 per cent discount for non-BPL holders up to Rs 5 lakh. They aim to provide specialised clinical services from primary to tertiary care. Maintenance of infrastructure, equipment and renovation will be done by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Narayan said it will be well managed with the funds allocated, and complete digitisation of the registration process will make the system more transparent and accountable.
For specialist smart clinics, a command centre will be built at Sadashivnagar to create a workplace for doctors to be able to provide specialist medical services in remote parts. MoUs have been signed between BBMP and Minto Hospital, Padmashree Institute of Physiotherapy and Government Dental College for
providing clinical and academic services.