The clinics demand cold storage facilities to ensure accessible healthcare.
Story so far: Medical officers of the recently inaugurated Namma Clinics have demanded cold storage facilities from the BBMP to ensure that vaccines are readily available. BBMP Special Commissioner, Dr KV Thrilok Chandra, responded that they are going to observe the demands for a few weeks before reaching a decision.
- Since Namma Clinics provide medical consultations and medicines for free, medical practitioners expect the footfall and demand for vaccines to increase, especially from weaker socio-economical groups.
- Shahzaib Ahmed Sadiq, a medical officer, reveals that doctors are presently addressing vaccine demands by retrieving them in storage boxes from primary health centres. This will be difficult when the number of patients increases.
Why it matters? The Namma Clinics, allegedly based on Delhi’s Mohalla clinic model, were introduced to make healthcare accessible and equitable. This involves setting up a clinic in every ward in the city to provide general consultations and screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure or anaemia and recommend the patients to better facilities if required.