Evening OPDs at dispensaries on hold amid Chandigarh admn's silence on budget
The UT health department's plan to start evening outpatient departments (OPDs) at all its civil dispensaries and health and wellness centres across the city remains in limbo in the absence of budget approval by the UT administration.
In February, director of health services Dr Suman Singh had confirmed that a ₹13-crore proposal to run the evening OPDs had been sent to the UT administration for budget sanction. However, more than three months have passed and the administration is yet to take a call on the matter.
Health secretary Ajay Chagti said, 'The proposal has been submitted to the finance department. We will start the OPDs when it is approved.' Finance secretary Diprava Lakra said he was not aware of any such proposal and refused to comment further.
The proposed evening OPDs will operate for six hours, complementing the existing morning shift (8 am to 2 pm) at health and wellness centres. The extended hours will cover three civil dispensaries, 15 Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and 29 health and wellness centres with the aim of providing relief to city residents, daily wagers and those belonging to the working class as they find it difficult to visit doctors during their daytime working hours, especially those living in Dadumajra, Mauli Jagran, Dhanas, Maloya, Manimajra and Industrial Area Phase 1.
The services to be offered include general outpatient care for illnesses and minor ailments; primary healthcare, including prenatal and childbirth care, and management of communicable diseases.
This expansion follows a previous, limited evening OPD trial at Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, in 2015, which addressed faculty shortages by hiring retired specialists, including orthopaedics, gynaecologists and surgeons, etc. However, this time, the focus is on hiring young MBBS doctors on a consolidated salary basis to staff the evening shifts.
The proposal of starting evening OPDs has been making rounds since 2023. Initially, it had targeted five key locations with a high concentration of daily wage earners, aiming to provide accessible healthcare without requiring them to sacrifice their daily income.
An estimated budget was prepared for the five locations but was later extended to all the dispensaries.
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