OHC Cost in India: Setup and Monthly Running Cost Explained

How much does an occupational health centre cost? is usually the second question a factory owner asks — right after are we legally required to have one? The honest answer is that OHC cost is not a single number; it is a set of components, each driven by decisions you control. This article breaks down every component so you can budget realistically and compare proposals on like-for-like terms. We deliberately do not quote figures here — costs vary by city, shift pattern and scope, and any number without your specifics would be misleading.

The two buckets: setup and running

Every OHC budget splits into one-time setup costs and recurring monthly running costs. A realistic proposal prices both separately.

Setup cost components

• Room preparation: partitioning, flooring, plumbing for a wash point, electrical points for equipment, signage and ventilation. A bare industrial room needs more work than a finished office space.
• Furniture and fittings: examination couch, privacy screen, chairs, storage cabinets, a lockable medicine cabinet, a desk for registers.
• Medical equipment: the prescribed equipment list for your requirement level — typically an oxygen set, emergency tray, dressing and splint sets, stretcher, wheelchair, BP apparatus, thermometer, weighing scale, height chart and a vision-testing arrangement. Higher-level OHCs add an ECG machine, audiometry and spirometry capability.
• Emergency medicines and consumables: the initial stock, sized to your risk assessment — including any antidotes your processes require.
• Records setup: the prescribed registers, and the digital record system if you use one.

Setup cost is driven mainly by equipment level. A first-aid-plus room and a full OHC with diagnostic capability are very different budgets.

Monthly running cost components

• Staffing — almost always the largest component. A single-shift nurse model costs a fraction of a three-shift nurse-plus-visiting-doctor model. The drivers: number of shifts covered, qualification level (GNM vs BSc nurse; MBBS vs AFIH visiting doctor), and visit frequency for the medical officer.
• Medicine and consumable replenishment: usage-linked, with a monthly audit replacing expired stock.
• Equipment maintenance and calibration: audiometer and spirometer calibration, oxygen cylinder refills, equipment servicing.
• Statutory examination programme: the periodic medical examinations themselves — investigations, doctor time and certification — which are usually budgeted separately per worker per cycle.
• Management and reporting: if you use a managed service, the provider's supervision, audit and reporting layer.

The five drivers that move cost up or down

1. Shifts covered — going from general-shift cover to three-shift cover roughly multiplies the staffing component.
2. Doctor model — a full-time factory medical officer, a visiting AFIH doctor, and a tele-supported digital OHC sit at very different price points. Our digital occupational health centre model exists precisely for factories that need the qualification without the full-time cost.
3. Equipment level — basic prescribed equipment versus diagnostic capability (ECG, audiometry, spirometry onsite).
4. Location — nurse and doctor availability in your industrial belt affects staffing cost; remote locations carry a premium.
5. Contract structure — self-managed (you hire and manage) versus managed service (provider owns staffing, replenishment, registers and audit). Managed costs more per month and usually less per problem.

The hidden costs of the cheap option

Factories that staff an OHC at the lowest possible cost usually discover the real cost later:

• A nurse without leave cover means the facility is unmanned whenever she is absent — an inspection on that day is a failure.
• Nobody owns the medicine expiry audit, so the emergency tray quietly goes out of date.
• Registers are filled in batches before inspections — inspectors notice, and the records lose their value as evidence.
• The visiting doctor's visits are not documented, so supervision cannot be demonstrated.

A managed OHC service costs more than a lone nurse's salary because it prices in relief cover, replenishment, audit and accountability. Compare proposals on what happens on the nurse's day off, not just the monthly figure.

How to budget: a practical approach

1. Fix the requirement level first — first aid room, ambulance room or full OHC — based on your headcount, processes and state rules. Our occupational health centre services page explains the levels.
2. Decide the shift cover you genuinely need, not the maximum possible.
3. Choose the doctor model — full-time, visiting or digital-hybrid.
4. Ask each provider to price setup and running separately, with the equipment list and staffing plan itemised.
5. Compare on scope: does the price include medicine replenishment, register maintenance, relief cover and inspection support?

Frequently asked questions

Is an OHC cheaper than sending workers to a nearby clinic?

For statutory medical examinations, an onsite programme is usually more efficient than sending workers out in batches — and a clinic cannot replace the during-working-hours availability requirement where it applies. The two serve different functions.

Can we start with a basic room and upgrade later?

Yes — a phased approach is common: first aid room with a nurse now, diagnostic equipment and a fuller OHC as headcount or risk grows. Plan the room size for the end state so you do not rebuild.

What is the cost difference between a nurse-only and a nurse-plus-doctor model?

Staffing is the dominant component, and adding a visiting doctor adds a defined per-visit or monthly retainer cost. The right model depends on your statutory examination volume — we scope this in every proposal.

Do you quote a per-worker price?

For the periodic medical examination programme, yes — per worker per cycle. For the OHC itself, the cost is facility-level: staffing, replenishment and management.

How do we get an accurate figure for our factory?

Share your headcount, shifts, state and process list — we confirm the requirement level and send an itemised proposal within one working day. Start at our OHC page.

Plan My Health designs, equips and staffs occupational health centres across India — from a single-shift first aid room to a full OHC with AFIH doctors and digital registers. Request an itemised proposal.