Kolkata: In a bid to bridge the gap in rendering of primary healthcare services, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is setting up satellite health centres, especially in wards which have huge areas.
The initiative had begun in 2023 and presently 22 such satellite centres have been set up. Recently, a health and wellness centre was inaugurated at Ward 106 in Jadavpur’s Purbachal Main Road.
Mayor Firhad Hakim had said that the civic body often gets complaints from residents of wards with huge areas where a primary healthcare centre alone is unable to serve the entire population of that ward.
The satellite centres in addition to Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s primary healthcare centre would act as a force multiplier. Such centres are also catering to vaccination
of children.
Each of the 22 satellite centres have a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist. This is also expected to reduce the queues outside the primary health centres and share the load.
It was learnt that a grant was received under the 15th finance commission to build over 50 health and wellness centres in the city. One of the challenges faced by Kolkata Municipal Corporation in this pursuit is lack of space for setting up an adequate number of centres.
An official said that wherever space is identified such centres are being set. The Mayor has also asked councillors to inform Kolkata Municipal Corporation if they come across space where a satellite centre can be set up for better delivery of healthcare services.
In 2023, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the Mayor to explore the possibility of setting up such satellite centres in all 144 wards.