Urban health training centre inaugurated in Malad Malvani, will cater to 3.5 lakh residents

The centre offers outpatient services in general medicine, women’s health, dermatology, dental care and tuberculosis. Patients requiring specialised or advanced treatment will be referred to nearby BMC hospitals including Harilal Bhagwati Hospital, KB Bhabha Hospital, Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College and Hospital and Dr R N Cooper Hospital.

A team of 35 members, including professors, associate professors, 20 resident doctors, trainees and support staff, will manage daily operations. OPD services will be available from 9.30am to 4pm, with special OPDs planned along with routine morning and afternoon sessions.

A senior BMC health department official said the new centre has been created to strengthen decentralised healthcare. “Our aim is to ensure that residents in the western suburbs receive timely and quality primary healthcare within their neighbourhoods. This centre will also reduce unnecessary pressure on major municipal hospitals by addressing cases that can be treated locally,” the official said.

The five storey-building includes a spacious waiting area and has the capacity to handle 250 to 300 OPD patients per day. Three floors have been allocated to the community Medicine department. In the coming months, staff numbers will be increased and an updated Hospital Management Information System will be implemented.

The centre also houses a library, an IEC hall, a public health museum, a research unit and a vaccination room. Regular health camps, awareness drives, training sessions and collaborative programmes with local organisations are planned.