Health Minister says 40 Namma Clinics in the pipeline for Mysuru, Kodagu districts

Mysore/Mysuru: Initiatives like Namma Clinics help strengthen the State’s healthcare system and the Health Department must prioritise establishment of such clinics in Mysuru as outlined by the Government, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar.

Chairing a Divisional-level Progress Review Meeting of the Health Department at Zilla Panchayat Hall yesterday, the Minister said that Namma Clinic is an ambitious programme launched by the State and more and more awareness campaigns must be taken up to publicise the clinics so that people come there to avail medical treatment, he added.

The aim is to provide better health services to the ever-increasing population and considerable priority is being given by the Government to public health. In all, 438 Namma Clinics will begin operations by Dec. 15 across Karnataka.

Each Namma Clinic is equipped with a doctor, nurse, lab technician and a group D employee. The appointment of 160 doctors and remaining staff are already completed for the 243 Namma Clinics in Bengaluru, he said.

The Namma Clinics are being established in Government buildings and rented buildings which have an area of 1,000-1,200 sq.ft and priority must be given to establishing such clinics on the ground floor for easy access, he added. These Namma Clinics will also create awareness about Yoga, Pranayama, meditation and food habits, said Minister Dr. Sudhakar.

As per the guidelines, Primary Health Centres in accordance with the population exist in rural areas. However, there is a shortfall of Government healthcare centres in urban areas to cater to the population. “We have sanctioned additional Namma Clinics so as to ensure one clinic per Ward in case of expansion. In Mysuru and Kodagu, 40 more Namma Clinics are in the pipeline,” he added.

The Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres or Namma Clinics are a new initiative to enhance accessibility to healthcare among urban poor. The Clinics will cater to the health of the urban poor, especially people falling below the poverty line and those residing in huts and city slums. It will also focus on creating awareness about Government healthcare schemes.

Patients can get free consultations, free medicines and free lab tests and a total of 14 lab tests will be made available at Namma Clinics. In case the patient needs further treatments at secondary and tertiary care facilities, they will also be provided free referral. Facilities for tele-consultations with specialists will also be created to expedite the diagnosis and treatment, he added.

It will help screen diseases, especially non-communicable and lifestyle diseases at an early stage thereby making treatment much quicker and mitigating life-threatening complications that occur at advanced stages of the diseases, the Minister added.

Additional Chief Secretary of Health Department T.K. Anil Kumar, Health Commissioner D. Randeep, Mission Director, National Health Mission Dr. Arundhati Chandrashekar, Director Dr. Indumathi, Divisional Associate Director Dr. Rajeshwari Devi and other officers were present.