BMTC bus-stops to soon get medical facilities

Bengaluru: The State Health Department, along with the Bangalore Metro Transport Corporation and BBMP, has come up with a unique initiative to help BMTC commuters, who are in need of medical attention.

Around 52 lakh people use BMTC buses every day, through its 52 bus stands or transit centres. A vast majority of them are urban poor and include many pregnant women, new mothers and children, who might need medical care. But despite the large number of commuters, no healthcare facilities were available at these transit centres for passengers and BMTC staff.

“To fill this gap, the health department has come up with Transit Urban Primary Health Centres (T-UPHC), which are similar to urban primary health centres, to provide comprehensive healthcare services to urban, vulnerable population who are in transit as well as others in need, including BMTC employees," explained Dr Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare.

“The health needs of the vulnerable population who use BMTC buses have to be taken care of, without which the purpose of total health coverage in urban area will not be meaningfully achieved,” she said.

Health Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar, Ms Shalini Rajneesh, Mayor Padmavathi and BMTC officials were present at the foundation-laying ceremony for the first Transit Urban Primary Health Centers (T-UPHC) at the Majestic Bus-stand on Friday. 

The services will be provided under the aegis of the National Urban Health Mission, Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, and implemented by the health wing of the BBMP.

The BMTC health wing and Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust, with its empanelled hospitals, will also act as first and secondary referrals.

Dr Sridhar S.M., Deputy Director (Medical), State Health and Family Welfare, said, “The planning has begun and hopefully in a month, we expect these centres to be fully functional. The human resource has already been taken care of.” 

Health mission for the urban poor 
The Karnataka National Urban Health Mission came into existence on January 20, 2014. Since then, it has been providing comprehensive healthcare services in urban areas to economically vulnerable populations through urban primary health centres, urban community health centres, maternity hospitals, health kiosks and mobile medical units with strong outreach services through grassroots health workers.