BMTC to set up free clinics at Majestic, Yesvantpur bus terminals

BENGALURU: Starting December, two major bus terminals in the city will have free-of-cost health care facilities for ailing commuters. A brainchild of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation ( BMTC), the clinics will be set up in partnership with the state health department at the Majestic and Yesvantpur bus terminals.

The clinics will have a full-time doctor and medical staff besides designated consultation and reception rooms. The project is primarily aimed to provide first-aid and emergency medical services to ailing passengers as well as staffers of BMTC.

While the BMTC has provided space to set up the facilities, the health department will run the clinics under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) scheme.

“Providing health care facility was one of the requests from our commuters and fortunately, the health department has approved our proposal. We will consider extending this facility to the remaining traffic transit management centres ( TTMCs), based on the feedback we receive from users,” BMTC chairman Nagaraj Yadav said.

The terminals at Majestic and Yesvantpur are the busiest in the city with a combined footfall of about 4 to 5 lakh passengers every day.

Vinay Sreenivasa of BMTC Bus Commuters Forum welcomed the new facility. “Any passenger-related amenities in the TTMC (multi-storied bus terminals) is definitely good. The clinic will be of help especially to long-distance passengers,” he said.

The forum, in the memorandum submitted to the BMTC, had suggested that the BMTC not look at TTMCs as revenue generators alone. “The TTMCs need to be re-imagined to serve bus commuters better. The BMTC should encourage setting up of medical store, Hopcoms stalls, Bangalore One Centres, post boxes and outlets of government agencies among others,” Sreenivasa said.

SUPER-SPECIALITY HOSPITAL
It is not the first time that the transport utility has thought of addressing medical requirements of its passengers and staffers. Earlier, it had proposed to run a super-speciality hospital with the help of private partnership.

HELLO, DOCTOR!
Clinics to have a fulltime doctor and medical staff besides designated consultation and reception rooms