Berhampur’s Red Cross Urban Primary Health Centre has launched Odisha’s first 12-hour outpatient department pilot at a government-run healthcare facility, extending medicine, gynaecology and paediatrics services from 8 am to 8 pm every day.
The extended OPD was inaugurated by Berhampur MLA K Anil Kumar in the presence of Berhampur Municipal Corporation mayor Sanghamitra Dalei, commissioner A Sasya Reddy, health officials and corporators. The initiative is intended to give residents longer access to primary healthcare and reduce patient pressure on MKCG Medical College and Hospital and City Hospital, which serve patients from Berhampur and neighbouring districts.
“With the 12-hour OPD, residents would be able to access healthcare services more conveniently,” the MLA said at the launch.
The Red Cross UPHC had previously operated its OPD for six hours a day, with services available from 8 am to 11 am and again from 5 pm to 8 pm. Under the new schedule, the centre will remain available continuously from 8 am to 8 pm.
The expanded service is part of the government’s programme to extend OPD operations to 12 hours at selected urban primary health centres. Lambodar Digal, city programme officer for UPHCs, said the duration of operations at Red Cross UPHC had been doubled under the initiative.
To support the longer schedule, the health system has deployed an additional doctor, three staff nurses and two pharmacists at the centre. Specialist clinics in medicine, gynaecology and paediatrics will operate daily from 11 am to 2 pm, according to Digal.
The staffing pattern and specialist schedule are significant for a facility that already handles a regular stream of patients. Red Cross UPHC records an average daily footfall of around 120 patients and also provides several diagnostic services, officials said.
The pilot is being implemented through Berhampur’s network of eight UPHCs functioning under the National Health Mission. The city administration will assess the initiative before deciding whether to extend similar services to other centres.
BeMC commissioner A Sasya Reddy said the 12-hour service could be introduced at other UPHCs depending on the pilot’s performance. She added that more specialist clinics could also be introduced based on public demand.
The change places the UPHC closer to the needs of residents who may not be able to use a conventional morning OPD schedule. For the municipal health system, the immediate operational test will be whether the additional staffing and extended hours can be sustained while maintaining the existing diagnostic and clinical services.
Officials have not announced a timeline for expanding the programme beyond Red Cross UPHC. The next step is an assessment of the pilot before decisions are taken on other UPHCs and additional specialist clinics.
