VADODARA: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is eyeing a major revamp
in the health services it provides in the city. The civic body is
eyeing to set up new health centres in the city and upgrade the existing
facilities.

The civic body currently operates 30 health
facilities in the city which include 17 urban health centres (UHC), four
full-time clinics, seven part-time clinics and two staff dispensaries.
The number of these facilities and the staff of the health department,
has, however, remained the same since around 25 years.

The
health department has moved a proposal stating that an six additional
UHCs and relocating some existing ones so that the entire population of
the city can be covered in a better way. It has proposed that for a
population of 50,000 persons there should be a UHC.

It has been
suggested that out patient departments should be operated at the health
centres twice a day. It has also suggested that medicines and
pathological examination services should be provided at the centres
besides other facilities.

The health department has also
suggested that three additional deputy health officers besides the
existing single post must be appointed. Each of these officers will
supervise work in a zone of the civic body.

The proposal put
before the standing committee has, however, raised some eyebrows as some
VMC officials feel that it should have been moved through the deputy
municipal commissioner (administration) and not directly by the health
department. The standing committee of the civic body will now have to
take a call regarding the issue.