LUCKNOW, Nov. 16 -- Even as the city's major hospitals remain crowded, several neighbourhood-level health facilities are functioning without a single doctor. At least eight urban health and wellness centres (UHWCs) and eight urban community health centres (UCHCs) currently have no doctors, leaving allied and healthcare staff to single-handedly manage OPD services and hand out medicines to patients, state health department officials said on Saturday.

The UHWC is led by a CHO who is a qualified AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) physician, responsible for providing a wide range of primary health care services. Meanwhile, a UCHC provides comprehensive primary and specialised healthcare services to urban populations. Thei...