Chandigarh, Feb. 17 -- Chandigarh's healthcare landscape is poised for a significant shift as the health department awaits funding approval from the UT administration to launch evening outpatient departments (OPDs) in civil dispensaries and health and wellness centres (HWCs). This initiative aims to extend medical services to residents who find it challenging to access care during traditional daytime hours.

The proposed evening OPDs will operate for six hours, complementing the existing morning shift (8 am to 2 pm) at health and wellness centres. The extended hours will cover three civil dispensaries, 15 urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and 29 HWCs. This expansion follows a previous, limited evening OPD trial at GMSH-16 in 2015, which addr...