Mumbai: Inside a container clinic in Dharavi

On the footpath outside ONGC building facing the main road sits Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray HBT clinic in Kalla Killa Dharavi At around 1030 am we reached the portable cabins or shipping containers that make up the clinic Wrapped in wire meshgrill three containers comprise all HBT clinicsPatients register in the first one where the staff clicks a photograph of them for their files and checks their vitals the other is for consultation and the last one functions as the pharmacy Besides being free of cost these clinics are completely paperless Each clinic uploads their dayrsquos data on Google sheets every dayInside the clinic is roomy and airy with adequate place to sit ldquoUnlike the other clinics that are open only from 3 pm to 10 pm we are also open from 7 am to 2 pmrdquo Dr Rashmi Yadav Dharavirsquos Medical Officer MO tells us A short circuit the evening before which caused a minor fire had kept the clinic shut on Thursday night On Friday the day of our visit they were investigating the cause of the short circuit As she gives us the tour Dr Yadav tells us that the clinic treats not only local residents but also labourers and workers who come to work in Dharavirsquos shanty industriesDr Aasim Tamboli consulting patients at the mohalla clinic in Kurla WestThese clinics are Chief Minister Eknath Shindersquos initiative inspired by the mohalla clinics of the capital Fifty one of these are spread across the city in portable cabins and in premises housing government dispensaries they are converted into mohalla clinics from 3 pm to 10 pm The highlight is their location near slum pockets and that they are completely free of charge Each clinic has a team of four One MO a pharmacist a nurse and an admin for registrationsAfter Dharavi our next stop is Takiya Ward in Kurla west ldquoPatient flow is strong here as the slum pocket is hugerdquo Dr Aasim Tamboli the MO tells us Itrsquos evident from the number of patients lining outside the clinic ldquoEvenings are the busiestrdquo Dr Tamboli tells us ldquoThe working class people come in after work These are patients who canrsquot go to government hospitals such as KB Bhabha Hospital thatrsquos close byAlso Read Mumbai Hawkandscoot gang takes over Ghatkopar tooDr Tamboli estimates their average footfall per day to be around 100 patients and mostly comprise basic treatments for cold flu fever diabetes and hypertension If therersquos an medical emergency he refers the patient to a government hospitalItrsquos 28yearold Sakina Khanrsquos first visit to the Kurla clinic her neighbours told her about it Usually she goes to KB Bhabha hospital but she says this is more convenient as she didnrsquot have to wait for long and itrsquos free The other patients also said they had heard good things about the clinic from their neighbours The Kurla clinic is also spacious well equipped with fans proper seating and a washbasin As we chatted with the MO we noticed a confused patient head to the pharmacy container first luckily a nurse guided him to the correct container A person stationed outside the clinic to guide people to the registration table would make the process smootherChemburrsquos HBT clinic also had a watchman which the MO Dr Arati Madavi says is mandatory This one is exclusively for women When we stop by at around 5 pm itrsquos empty Dr Madavi said that people tend to come in later at night and they see 30 to 40 patiently daily on an average When wersquod asked around before Chemburkars seemed aware of the clinic and its location The team had an outreach programme to spread awareness ldquoWordofmouth has also helpedrdquo says Dr Madavi adding that they also get patients from neighbouring Tilak Nagar