Ayush centres will be shifted to different locations

The Delhi government is planning to shift 100 Ayush centres out of the existing locations and bring polyclinics in these alloted spaces.

The existing primary health centres will also be turned into polyclinics with the current infrastructure in these units being strengthened.

The polyclinics will come up in a phased manner. The project is likely to be completed by the end of next year. The clinics will offer four basic types of OPDs — surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics and orthopaedics.

“The project is at the nascent stage. Around 100 Ayush centres will be shifted to different locations and polyclinics will come up in the existing locations. It has not been planned yet where the centres will be shifted. Several new plots have been acquired so there will be no lack of space,” said a senior Health Department official.

The existing primary health centres in the capital will also be revamped to deal with more patients and the infrastructure will be further enhanced to deal with a variety of cases.

“Currently, several such primary units are offering a few OPD services. All polyclinics will offer OPDs in four categories — surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics and orthopaedics. It will be compulsory to offer all related diagnostic tests at these polyclinics. Once mohalla clinics and polyclinics are in place, tertiary hospitals will only handle admitted patients,” said the official.

However, the major challenge lies in procuring equipment and provide adequate staff at the polyclinics, according to another official.

“Expanding the infrastructure will not be enough to handle more patients. No method has been worked out yet on how the doctor to patient ratio will be maintained.

Recruitments have to be scaled up with several such polyclinics and mohalla clinics coming up. Currently, the equipment for diagnostic services at the existing hospitals are not upgraded which needs an overhaul too,” said the official.

The gynaecology department needs more focus in the outskirts of Delhi, said doctors.

The government has recently constituted 19 project teams to fast-track the implementation of the upcoming projects. The teams comprise medical superintendents and senior doctors and will guide the Health Department on how to go about the new projects. The teams will closely monitor the existing projects too.