Ranchi, Jun 30 (IANS): Taking a cue from the Delhi government, the Raghubar Das government plans to start "Mohalla Clinics" that will offer free medical care to people living in slums in Jharkhand.

"These clinics will be like primary health centres and will offer free diagnostics facilities, treatment and medicine for minor ailments. These are being started for the benefit of daily wagers, who lose a day's salary if they visit a regular hospital for treatment. The clinics will open every day in the morning and evening. Serious patients would be referred to bigger hospitals for treatment," state Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi told IANS.

Every clinic will offer OPD, vaccination, maternity, post natal and family planning services, along with tests for malaria, tuberculosis and other small ailments. Doctors will be paid for the number of patients they treat in a clinic.

A Health Department official said: "Every slum will get a Mohalla Clinic on a population of 15,000. Based on the number of slums, some 25 temporary Mohalla Clinics have been planned in the state."

Chandravanshi said the clinics will also function as Awareness Generation Centres for diseases that mainly affect poor people mainly living in slums.