Bengaluru: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Special Commissioner (Health) Dr. K. V. Thrilok Chandra informed that the Namma Clinics, the health and wellness centres approved by the State Government in 2022, are expected to be launched in two phases in mid-December. He held a meeting on Monday to discuss the progress of Bengaluru’s Namma Clinics’ preparedness.
The first phase will see the launch of 108 clinics, while the second phase will see the launch of the remaining 153 clinics. Each clinic requires a capital investment of around Rs. 3 lakh. For establishing the clinics, the entire capital investment, excluding recurring expenses for salaries, is around Rs 7.3 Crore.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) Chief Health Officer Dr. AS Balasundar informed that the recruitment of staff nurses, lab technicians, doctors, and Group D employees for all 243 Namna Clinics as well as the civil work for the clinics have been completed. He claimed that while 150 clinics had been established in government buildings, the remaining ones had been set up in rented buildings. Several concerns regarding the poor clinics have been brought up by residents recently. Dr. Balasundar addressed the situation and emphasised that Namma Clinics were meant to be sub-centre level health clinics offering basic primary care.
“The clinics offer primary care or counselling for diseases like diabetes, mental illness, hypertension, and other communicable or non-communicable diseases,” he added.
He further mentioned that the BBMP is aware of the deadlines and is awaiting the order from the Health Department to launch the initiative in Bengaluru.
