Make initial medical consultation easy and free

The other day our house-maid mentioned how the private doctor charged Rs 200 consultation fee for ordinary fever and cold. The medicines cost was Rs 50. When I asked her why did she not go to the government hospital, her answer was predictable. Ordinary Indians have to stand in long queues and spend almost the full day in government hospitals or pay high consultancy fee to private medical practitioners/consultants. The medicines are rarely available free and in serious cases the cost is also prohibitive. Tests are routinely advised by private practitioners and are a big drain on the hard earned money of non-organized labour.
The primary health centers and government hospitals are run more like government offices. They are reasonably well kept only at places within the constituencies of high and mighty. What we need is the establishment of a one room Medical unit in each urban ward and village. This should be manned 4 hours in the morning and four hours in the evening. A general medical practitioner and a nursing assistant with minimal furniture and facilities is enough.
This MI room can provide to anyone, and specially the poor among the unorganized labour just the initial examination of the patient and prescribing of common medicines. If a test is essential it can be prescribed and the person can get it done either from government hospital (if it is convenient and available!) or private center. For more serious cases the person can be referred to the next level of government hospital or if the patient requests to a private nursing home.The main advantage would be the saving of high consultation fee. One important fall out would be that many such persons, who avoid going to doctor until the case becomes serious, would visit the MI room as soon they get ill. The health statistics would become more reliable as more cases would come on record.