NEW DELHI: The Delhi Wakf Board (DWB) has approved a proposal to set up ‘health service desks’, primary health centres, on the lines of Mohalla Clinics, one of the major poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), that will offer basic medicines for general ailments, diagnostic services, and consultation free of cost.
Senior officials of the state government, aware of the matter, said that as the proposal had already been cleared, the process of issuing a notification for the same is underway. “After the mandatory notification, the first health service desk is likely to be operational within a month. The idea is that each section of the society should have access to essential medical services,” said the official.
Amanatullah Khan, chairman of the DWB, said that the first desk would be set up in one of offices of the Wakf Board.
“We are starting with one desk, where two doctors will be available. We are also in the process of hiring auxiliary staff. The board has a plan to start a few more similar facilities across the city. For general ailments like fever, cough, and flu, patients will get medicines at the health centre itself and cases, which need comprehensive medical attention and procedures, would be referred to the big government hospitals,” said Khan, who is also MLA from Okhla.
According to the proposal, the board will bear the cost of the expensive medical tests required for diagnosis, for which it will tie-up with private institutions.
“We are identifying private hospitals or charitable medical institutions, which can offer medical tests at lower rates. We have seen one such facility located in North Delhi equipped with state-of-the-art machines, where certain diagnostic tests are comparatively cheaper. We want to engage those medical centres and the board will reimburse the charges directly to the institution or hospital,” said Himal Akhtar, member of the board.