Telangana to have 3,000 'Palle Dawakhanas' soon

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will be launching 3,000 Palle Dawakhanas on the lines of the Basti Dawakhanas across the State at one go. It will take up recruitment of about 1,000 doctors in a period of 30 days.

This comes after the success of the Basti Dawakhana initiative of the government in the city, which according to officials, has reduced the outpatients load in major hospitals, like Osmania and Gandhi.

According to a senior official, generally there will be an outbreak of seasonal diseases in villages and people unaware of the consequences delay treatment and rush to the city for emergency medicines. Now the Palle Dawakhanas will come in handy for the rural masses.

According to the official, there will be four Palle Dawakhanas under one primary health centre in the State. There will be one doctor, staff nurse and an assistant deployed in the Palle Dawakhanas, who will be providing services like general consultation, diagnosis, BP check-up and screening for cancer and 56 types of tests. Apart from consultation, patients will be provided free medicines.

The official informed that the government had already notified the recruitment of 1,000 doctors. The government will be releasing the provisional list before the merit list to give opportunity to doctors to register their objections. The doctors from AYUSH and those who performed duties during Covid will be given weightage. The doctors will be given 30 per cent weightage as recognition of their service during difficult times, like Covid, said the official.

The government decision comes after the successful functioning of the Basti Dawakhana in the city limits. The urban areas have close to 350 Basti Dawakhanas providing various types of services. The official said the Basti Dawakhanas have helped in reducing the outpatient load in major hospitals like Gandhi, Osmania and Fever Hospital.

Prior to the Basti Dawakhana the Fever Hospital had an OP of over 2,000 persons a day; but now it is not even touching 500. Similarly, Gandhi had an OP rush of 3,000 a day; but now only 400 are registered; only serious cases are referred to the hospital. "Earlier, we had demands of opening a new block specially for OP, but now there is no such demand thanks to the Basti Dawakhanas," said the official.