India, June 14 -- In a step to make healthcare assistance more accessible, the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) standing committee on Friday approved a proposal to establish dedicated service counters for the Late Ajitdada Pawar Urban Poor Health Scheme in all 15 ward offices across the city, officials said.

Standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale approved the proposal submitted by corporator Kalinda Punde.

The scheme provides financial assistance to economically disadvantaged patients suffering from serious and high-cost illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease and heart ailments.

At present, all administrative work related to the scheme is handled centrally through the PMC health department at its main building. Citizens are r...