HYDERABAD: While the state government is planning to establish more number of basti dawakhanas in Hyderabad, the ones that are in place are facing a severe shortage of staff owing to the third wave of the pandemic.
Sources said all the basti clinics have at least 40% shortage of staff. Each basti dawakhana is supposed to have a doctor, ASHA workers and an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM). However, several of them are run by nurses who provide consultations, prescribe general medicines and refer patients to other hospitals. This scenario is prevalent in Old City areas of Malakpet, Puranapul, Lal Darwaza, Panjeshan, Darulshifa, Dabeerpura and Ramnasthpura where the basti clinics are woefully facing staff crunch.
