Chandigarh’s health and wellness centres only for screening

Amarjot Kaur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 15

While the city is grappling with the increasing number of Covid cases, its 26 dispensaries, some of which have now been converted to health and wellness centres (HWCs), are tasked with screening suspected cases — this being their only role in the Covid management.

“At present, all dispensaries are acting as screening centres to offer out-patient services to visitors and direct suspected patients to sampling centres that are close to their zones,” said a source in the Health Department.

Following the hub and spokes model on sample collection, the GMSH-16 acts as a hub that receives heaviest resource investments and supplies the most intensive medical service, while Urban Community Health Centre, Sector 45, Civil Hospital, Sector 22, and the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra, are its satellite campuses or spokes, which offer more limited service arrays.

The GMCH-32 and the PGI conduct both testing and sampling.

According to a note issued by UT’s Director, Health Services, Dr G Dewan, dispensaries and the HWCs found a mention in only one line: “Training has been imparted to all categories of medical and paramedical staff in the hospital and the HWCs or dispensaries, kitchen and housekeeping staff. The safai karamcharis and attendants are being trained particularly and being re-oriented from time to time since they are more vulnerable.”

Apart from the HWCs, the city has five Ayush health and wellness centres.

“The construction of Ayush Hospital is underway at the former Homeopathic Dispensary of Sector 34,” said Dr Dewan. “The dispensary’s homeopathic and ayurvedic departments have been shifted to the HWCs of Sector 33 and Sector 35, respectively,” he added.

The HWCs aim at providing all holistic services under one roof, including OPD services, screening, child and maternal health care and basic management of mental health ailments. The HWCs may also house Ayush, which includes homoeopathy, ayurveda and yoga.

A Health Department official said, the upgrade of dispensaries was part of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karykram (RKSK) programme in the country.