July 7, 2025

Evening clinics at the health and wellness centers in Chennai run by the Greater Chennai Corporation have reported an uptick in the number of outpatients across various zones of the city. With 170 out of 200 centers now having doctors, residents are benefitting from healthcare services after regular working hours, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Typically, doctors from urban primary health centers only operate during the day. However, residents are requesting more evening clinics and the recruitment of 30 extra doctors to fill vacancies and enhance services. The introduction of 60 new health and wellness centers by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has made the evening clinics even more popular among the locals. Residents are appreciating the convenience of accessing healthcare services in the evenings, especially for children and the elderly. A resident from Anna Nagar mentioned the positive impact of having a doctor available in the evening at the center in Thirumangalam, noting that this has significantly improved services as people no longer have to rely on doctors from other facilities. The shift in focus to evening clinics has led to increased footfall and a positive response from the community. Ward councillors have observed a surge in the number of visitors to these clinics, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of the free services compared to private clinics. The need for better public health infrastructure and the urgency to fill vacancies for doctors and sanitary inspectors have also been stressed by councillors. Despite hiring 150 PG doctors for GCC hospitals, only 113 have joined so far, with salary issues causing attrition among specialist doctors. This has resulted in several vacant positions for specialists like obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, general surgeons, anesthetists, and dentists. GCC health committee chairperson Santha Kumari has assured that more doctors will be recruited soon, emphasizing the positive impact of new doctors on the patronage levels at the evening clinics. The surge in patient footfall highlights the importance of bolstering healthcare services with adequate staffing levels and infrastructure.

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Tags: Healthcare, Evening clinics, Doctors, Chennai, Wellness centers,