1 Rupee Clinic offering services at just Rs 1 opens at Ghatkopar railway station; more than 60 people throng the facility on the first day itself



Sixty-year-old Selvaraj was among the first few patients to drop by at the 1 Rupee Clinic at Ghatkopar station on Wednesday



Selvaraj was hanging around Ghatkopar railway station when he spotted a rather unbelievable signage - a board that read '1 Rupee Clinic' - on the premises. Curious, the 60-year-old autorickshaw driver walked in and discovered that R1 can get you more than an unbranded candy. It can let you have a health check-up.

City's first 24x7 '1 Rupee Clinic' opened at Ghatkopar station yesterday, offering 12-hour OPD service for just R1. Doctors from reputed private hospitals will treat patients in three-hour shifts at the clinic. Three more clinics will be opened with Central Railway's help at Dadar, Kurla and Vikhroli. The plan is to extend the facility to 15 stations.

Tie-ups on anvil

On Day 1, more than 60 patients visited the Ghatkopar clinic. Selvaraj, who suffers from high blood pressure and has dislocated his right shoulder, popped in for a check-up. "I have consulted several doctors, who asked me to undergo a surgery for the shoulder. But for that I need to perform an MRI. In civic-run hospitals, it takes months to get an appointment for an MRI," he said.

Also read - Mumbai: Soon, 5 Central Railway stations to have clinics charging Re 1 to patients

He may soon be able to jump the queue and get an MRI done, thanks to the 1 Rupee Clinic. The clinic is in talks with diagnostic centres to offer MRIs and CT scans at subsidised rates.

Golden hour treatment

It's the brainchild of Dr Rahul Ghule, ex-medical officer of Arthur Road Jail. "Major hospitals get thousands of patients from rural and suburban areas. This increases the pressure on them. Clinics at stations can help reduce the load," he said. The aim is to provide treatment to accident victims within the golden hour. "Once emergency medical aid is given, the patient can taken to a nearby hospital."

The clinic is being run by five MBBS and four MD doctors - Dr Amol Ghule, MD medicine (another founding member), Dr Savita Uppad, MD gynaecology, Dr Atul Giri, MD dermatology, and Dr Abhay Munda, MD ophthalmology, are on shifts. Consultants from Lilavati, Ambani, Bombay and Kokilaben hospitals will soon be brought on board.