Representative Image.
Credit: DH Photo
A quarter of the 415 Namma Clinics in Karnataka will operate their OPD timings from noon to 8 pm so that labourers can utilise the clinics better.
Currently, the clinics operate from 9 am to 12.30 pm, and then again from 2 pm to 4.30 pm. These hours coincide with labourers' work hours, depriving them of the facility, a press release from Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's office said.
Operations in two shifts were considered, but this was not possible due to the shortage of doctors. The selected clinics will open at 7 am, but only the lab technician will be available in the morning. Nurses and doctors will come in at 12.
If the trials with these clinics are successful, timings may be changed across all Namma Clinics. Over eight lakh people have been treated in Namma Clinics across the state, with an average of 35-40 visitors per clinic daily. Also, 2.8 lakh people have undergone tests in the clinic's labs. Steps will be taken to improve healthcare quality in the clinics step by step, Rao said.
Bengaluru has 225 Namma Clinics.