Neighbourhood clinics on crutches

Across Hyderabad’s crowded localities, Urban Primary Health Centres serve as the first point of contact for thousands seeking everyday medical care. Often housed in ageing buildings and run by small teams of doctors, nurses and community health workers, these clinics shoulder much of the city’s routine healthcare burden. But while the city gains prominence for its corporate hospitals and medical tourism, UPHCs continue to function with limited infrastructure and growing patient loads, writes Siddharth Kumar Singh