(OD)
Seeking to provide doorstep healthcare facilities in rural Odisha, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today flagged off 11 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) which will travel across villages in the state providing free primary healthcare services.
Six of these MMUs, which are specially equipped Tempo Traveler vehicles, have been supported by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., four by GAIL (India) Limited and one by Oil and Natural Gas Ltd. (ONGC) as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Each MMU will have a qualified Doctor (minimum MBBS), nurse (ANM), laboratory technician, pharmacist, essential medicines, diagnostic kit (Swashtya Jaanch Machine) and information and awareness material on health and hygiene.
The MMUs are GPS enabled so that their movement can be tracked on a real-time basis. The project is designed to cover villages in a range of 25 to 40 kms from its base location. One MMU can cover 4 to 5 villages in a day on a regular basis and can cater to the health needs of 90 to 100 people on an average. In emergencies, they can also function as a referral clinic and as ambulance also.
The facilities extended through the MMU will also include quarterly eye-screening and medical health check-up camps, free distribution of Moksha Sanitary Napkins to adolescent girls and women in villages, free distribution of Shuddhu tablets for purification of water and IEC material for creating awareness on Swachhata, health and hygiene issues.
