The district health administration is set to revolutionise healthcare facilities in the state capital by introducing specialist doctor facilities at the polyclinics which are being developed at the 14 urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in the state capital.
Eight specialist doctors, including obstetricians, paediatricians, and psychiatrists, will treat patients twice a week at these polyclinics, starting March 2026. This initiative aims to provide specialised treatment at the UPHC level, saving patients the hassle of travelling to bigger government hospitals, said a local health department official.
The selected UPHCs, including Jankipuram, Chitwapur, and IIM Road, will be upgraded to accommodate these specialists. Government and private doctors will share duties, with private doctors receiving remuneration of ₹5,000 per visit. Only OPD services will be available, and critical cases will be referred to higher centres. This move is expected to benefit people in rural areas, enhancing healthcare accessibility, said the official.
Dr NB Singh, chief medical officer (CMO), said that ophthalmologists, Orthopaedics, dermatologists, ENT doctors, and psychiatrists will also be available at the polyclinics.
Dr Singh further said that the 14 UPHCs including Jankipuram, Chitwapur, IIM road, Bharwara, Barawan Kala, Naka, Aurangabad and Vrindavan have been identified last month to be upgraded.This will directly facilitate people living in rural areas.
At present a UPHC is constructed on an area of around 1,400 square feet, having limited facilities for patients. But now, it will become around 2000 square feet by adding 600 square feet more area at each UPHC for Polyclinics. This expanded area will be utilised for the facilities of specialist doctors, said Dr Singh.
The state capital has 84 PHCs in total, including UPHCs and PHCs, while it has 20 CHCs, he said.
Under India’s National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), UPHCs are designed to provide comprehensive primary healthcare (preventive, promotive, curative) to urban poor, slum dwellers, and vulnerable populations, offering services like doctor consultations, basic diagnostics, free medicines, and reproductive/child health care, distinct from rural PHCs due to urban focus and ambulatory care. UPHCs generally focus on outpatient care and limited inpatient services, often having 4-6 beds as per norms for basic PHCs.
A polyclinic is a large medical facility offering a wide range of outpatient services, combining general practitioners and specialists under one roof for various conditions, providing one-stop healthcare without overnight stays, making it bigger than a single clinic but smaller and more focused than a full hospital.