BMC Strengthens Free Healthcare with 25 More HBT Clinics
Mumbai’s free healthcare network is set to expand further as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to launch 25 more ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana’ (HBT clinics) and three physiotherapy centres in 2025. With this expansion, the total number of HBT clinics is expected to reach 275, ensuring better accessibility to free medical services for Mumbaikars.
Launched in November 2022, on the death anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray, the HBT clinic initiative was conceptualised under the leadership of former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to provide quality healthcare at no cost and near citizens’ homes. The initiative has seen immense public support, leading to a rapid increase in the number of clinics across the city. In the last two years, BMC has established 250 HBT clinics, including 33 polyclinics and diagnostic centres. These clinics offer free medical consultations, medicines, and diagnostic tests, significantly easing the burden on Mumbai’s public hospitals. As of December 2024, over 90 lakh patients have benefited from these services.
HBT polyclinics and diagnostic centres provide specialist consultations from gynaecologists, paediatricians, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, dentists, and ENT specialists. Additionally, advanced diagnostic services such as X-rays, mammography, ECGs, CT scans, and MRIs are offered at subsidised rates through private diagnostic centres affiliated with BMC. In an effort to extend healthcare access to remote and underprivileged areas, BMC has also deployed mobile clinics in regions like Aarey Colony, Govandi, and Mankhurd, ensuring medical services reach even the most inaccessible parts of the city.
With the addition of 25 new clinics and 3 physiotherapy centres, BMC aims to strengthen Mumbai’s public health infrastructure and make healthcare services more inclusive. This move reflects the city’s commitment to providing quality medical assistance to all citizens, particularly those who cannot afford private healthcare. As the HBT clinic network expands, Mumbaikars can look forward to better healthcare accessibility, quicker consultations, and an overall improvement in the city’s medical ecosystem.
