Panvel City Municipal Corporation plans to develop three urban primary health centres

The new health centres would be developed in Kharghar, New Panvel and Kalundre, near Panvel city along the Mumbai-Goa Highway

In an effort to provide better healthcare facilities to the residents, the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is planning to develop three Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC) in its jurisdiction.

In an effort to provide better healthcare facilities to the residents, the Panvel City Municipal Corporation is planning to develop three urban primary health centres in its jurisdiction. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

According to their plans, the new centres would be developed in Kharghar, New Panvel and Kalundre (near Panvel city along the Mumbai-Goa Highway). The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has agreed to give land for the same, a senior officer said.

Sanjay Jagtap, city engineer of PCMC, said, “After conducting multiple surveys in our jurisdiction, we have planned to develop these three UPHCs. Each of these centres will have OPDs and other primary medical facilities. The proposal will be presented before the general body meeting in November and we will start the tendering process as soon as we receive the approval. CIDCO has already agreed to give us land in those places and hence we will have to spend time acquiring land.”

Another senior officer from PCMC said that it will need around ₹3Cr for developing these three centres. “We will explore the possibilities of acquiring funds from the central government while working on these projects. We have plans to develop three to five other UPHCs in some other parts of the city at a later stage. But nothing has been decided about that so far,” the officer said.

Mahesh Shirke, a 54-year-old activist from Panvel, said, “The population of PCMC’s jurisdiction is around 8.50 lakh. However, it is rapidly increasing as people from different parts of the country are migrating to the newly-developed areas of Kharghar, Taloja, New Panvel, Roadpali and Kamothe. The public healthcare system is not so strong here and thus the residents are heavily dependent on private hospitals. The upcoming UPHCs will give some relief to the residents of those areas.”