Secunderabad Cantonment Board to launch three new urban health centres soon

SECUNDERABAD: In a move to beef up healthcare facilities in the area, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), is all set to open three more 'urban primary health centres' (UPHCs) to add to its existing list of three. The first lot of UPHCs were started over three decades ago.
These medical centres, primarily aimed at catering to the requirements of the poor, have been set up on the lines of the Basthi Dawakhanas - about 168 in total - that have been built across the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
"There has been a long standing demand for UPHCs. Now, with the initiative of Hyderabad Collector, Swathy Mohanty, we have been sanctioned three of them. One new UPHC will be opened at Cantonment General Hospital at Bollarum while another will come up at Picket. The third centre will be set up at Tirmulgherry," said SCB chief executive officer, B Ajith Reddy.
He said official orders for this were recently issued by the medical and health department of Telangana. The three new UPHCs will have adequate medical staff including doctors and para-medical staff and would work as full-fledged clinics.
Each UPHC will have a total of 17 staff and all basic amenities.
At a time when there is a high demand for healthcare centres, given the rise in Covid-19 cases, these clinics will bring much relief to residents, said an SCB official. "For over a decade we have been urging the state government to open UPHCs, now that dream has been fulfilled," said a ward member.