Lucknow: Under the National Health Mission, 14 urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in the city have been upgraded to polyclinics to provide specialist healthcare services closer to residents.Earlier, these centres offered only basic outpatient care and lacked specialist doctors, advanced diagnostic facilities, and referral support for complex cases, officials said.The upgraded polyclinics will now offer specialised services, including gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, ENT, dermatology, general medicine, ophthalmology, and mental health. The facilities will also provide telemedicine services, 63 types of diagnostic tests, and 195 essential medicines.Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak inaugurated the upgraded facility at Aurangabad PHC in Ruchi Khand on Friday. He said the initiative aims to ensure access to specialist treatment at the local level and will be extended to community health centres in the future.Officials said specialist doctors will provide services on a roster basis on all working days. Patients visiting primary health centres and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs can be referred to these polyclinics for specialised care.Paramedical staff, including nurses, optometrists, physiotherapists, and counsellors, have been deployed to ensure comprehensive care.The upgraded centres include Barawan Kalan, Vrindavan, Bharwara, Jiyamau, Pipraghat, Jankipuram, IIM Road, Khargapur, Jarhara, Aurangabad, Nadarganj, Naka, New Haiderganj, and Chitwapur.During the event, Pathak also distributed Ayushman cards to beneficiaries and nutrition kits to TB patients. Senior officials from the health department were present.
