GBA takes steps for smooth running of Namma Clinics, PHCs

BENGALURU: To ensure that services of Primary Health Centers under the National Urban Health Mission and the Namma Clinics (Government of Karnataka) continue uninterrupted with new five corporations coming up, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has proposed setting up an Executive Committee (EC) for each of the five corporations. There are nearly 4,000 health staff deployed through National Health Mission (NHM) to provide healthcare for the urban poor, and their allocation to each corporation evenly is crucial to ensure the health system runs smoothly. Speaking to TNIE, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner, Health and Education, GBA, said that the GBA cannot set up a uniform law regarding the health system as it will become difficult for each individual corporation to follow it up. GBA is now a supervising body, and it cannot control the corporations, and has asked the government to appoint an EC. Earlier, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner was chairing the EC. The same system was being followed at the rural and urban level where an EC was heading the District Health Society, and the day-to-day administration was being looked after by them. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) or the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the chair of the EC at the urban and rural levels. We have sent a letter to the government stating that the BBMP has been dissolved and the corporation is divided. The Corporations have two choices. They can either create the Executive Committee or they can write to the government to go under the umbrella of the District Health Society, which will be monitored by the DC or the CEO for health administration in the five corporations, he said. The Urban Development Department, in advance, has deployed health officers of each zone as health officers for the newly formed five corporations, while the Chief Health Officer (BBMP) is retained in the GBA with limited supervision of the Health Officers deployed into the new corporations. Meanwhile, a senior official said, a letter was sent to the Mission Director, National Health Mission stating to divide the health staff in each corporation under the GBA as the previous civic body has been divided into five new municipalities. There are 3,018 health staff, including those on a contract basis. There are 1,000 ASHA workers, and their salaries were being drawn by the Chief Health Officer from NUMH into his/her account and were then distributed to the staff as per the role and scale. The letter to the Mission Director to streamline the health system in the new corporation from an administrative perspective was sent. The response is awaited, said a senior official.