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Ludhiana: Low footfall plagues urban community health centre
Officials attribute low patient turnout to lack of specialists in the health centre and presence of many Aam Aadmi Clinics in the vicinity
It has been around one year since the urban community health centre (UCHC) was opened at the civil surgeon’s office complex, but it has failed to draw any significant patient footfall.
The daily OPD average at the hospital is around 20-25. The hospital is a 10-bed facility which is open 24/7, but, as per officials, besides a rare few cases of day care where a patient is kept for an hour or two to observe, there have been no admissions at the hospital, and the ward stays practically closed.
The only regular visitors to the ward are the workers who lie down on the beds to catch a little break.
The hospital has three doctors posted around the clock in three shifts, besides two nursing staff and a pharmacist. This is when the district suffers from an acute shortage of doctors. Over 40 per cent of doctors’ posts in the district are vacant.
President, Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), Dr Akhil Sareen, said that the reason behind the low footfall at the UCHC was the lack of specialists. He said that some other CHCs in the district had specialists, and they do draw a decent patient load.
“Requisite posts for medical officers (MBBS as well as specialists) at the urban CHCs need to be sanctioned and filled in, for them to be fully functional,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of CHCs in the public health system, he said, “These UCHCs, while ensuring expansion of accessible healthcare delivery systems in urban areas, can serve to effectively decompress the district hospital as well.”
Civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur said, “The footfall was even lesser earlier. It has only improved of late. We have organised special camps here to publicise the UCHC.”
On the question of specialists, she said, “We have written to the government asking for specialists to be posted here so that people can find the required medical counsel and help here.”
One of the reasons behind the low footfall, she said, was the presence of many Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) in the nearby area, which offer all care under one roof. The civil hospital is also hardly 3-4 km from the UCHC.
The UCHC was inaugurated by Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh on December 6, 2024. During the inauguration, the officials had said that while it is a 10-bedded facility, the department plans to expand it into a 30-bedded facility in the near future.
The inauguration had seen some drama as some patients from the civil hospital were shifted to the ward of the UCHC for a photo opportunity as the health minister took a tour of the facility.
