Bengaluru: One-fourth (104) of the 415 Namma Clinics situated in Karnataka (11 in Mysuru district) are set to adjust their operational hours, offering their Outpatient Department services from noon until 8 pm.

This alteration aims to accommodate labourers and enhance their access to the clinics.

Presently, these clinics operate between 9 am to 12.30 pm and then from 2 pm to 4.30 pm. Unfortunately, these hours overlap with the work schedules of labourers, preventing them from benefiting from the facility. A communication from the office of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao revealed this issue.

Though the possibility of implementing a two-shift system was considered, it was deemed not feasible due to a shortage of medical professionals. As per the new plan, the selected clinics will open at 7 am, with only the lab technician available during the morning hours. Nurses and doctors will commence their shifts at 12 noon.

Should these revised schedules prove effective during the trial phase, similar adjustments could potentially be applied across all Namma Clinics. Across the State, over eight lakh individuals have received medical treatment at Namma Clinics, averaging 35-40 visitors per clinic on a daily basis.

Additionally, the clinic’s laboratories have conducted tests for 2.8 lakh individuals. Dinesh Gundu Rao mentioned that gradual measures would be taken to progressively enhance the quality of healthcare services provided by the clinics.