Hyderabad: Key diagnostic services like ultrasonography (USG), radiology services like X-Ray, basic cardiology tests like ECG, which form a major chunk of out-of-pocket expenditure for the urban poor, will now be available free of cost at the nearest State-run health care institution in Hyderabad.
The health department is set to inaugurate eight diagnostic mini-hubs on Friday, which will provide basic diagnostic facilities free of cost. The concept has been developed on the lines of the hub and spoke model wherein eight mini-hubs are connected to 50 Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) and 36 Basthi Dawakhanas across Hyderabad.
Patients visiting the UPHCs and Basthi Dawakhanas will be first enrolled and later will receive an appointed time and date at the mini-hub for availing ECG, USG, X-Ray and other radiology services. The eight diagnostic mini hubs have been established in the Urban Community Health Centres (UCHC) at Lalapet, Sriramnagar, Barkas, Panipura, Puranapul, Amberpet, Jangammet and Sitaphalmandi.
Apart from the mini-hubs, to address the difficulties in offering free diagnostic tests, the health department back in 2018 had established a major hub at Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), which was initially connected to 126 smaller healthcare centres and later the number increased to 319 facilities in Hyderabad. Since 2018, the major-hub at IPM itself has provided services to 10 lakh patients.
Before the actual inauguration, health authorities since December 10, 2020, have been conducting dry-run at the eight diagnostic mini-hubs and have already conducted 2,000 diagnostic tests including USG, X-rays and ECGs.
MAUD Minister, KT Rama Rao will inaugurate the diagnostic mini-hub at Sriramnagar while the mini-hub at Lalapet is to be inaugurated by Health Minister, Eatala Rajender. Home Minister, Mahamood Ali will inaugurate the facilities at Barkas, Panipura and Puranapul, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Talasani Srinivas Yadav at Amberpet while Assembly Deputy Speaker, T Padma Rao will launch the mini-hubs at Jangammet and Sitaphalmandi.
