Govt set to introduce helicopter-based medical services for people living in tough terrain. Minister says nothing to do with polls in three northeastern states.
New Delhi: With elections due in three northeastern states soon — Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura — the BJP has begun preparing its pitch to woo voters and expand its footprint in the region.
And the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DONER) is taking the lead by listing the achievements of the government, as well as informing the public about proposals that are in the pipeline.
Among these proposals is one for air dispensaries to cover tough terrain in the northeast and provide medical facilities at people’s doorsteps.
What will air dispensaries do?
Along the lines of the ‘flying doctors’ in Australia, DONER proposes to send specialist doctors who can spare time to far-flung areas in helicopters. The proposal is awaiting a nod from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in DONER and in the Prime Minister’s Office, said: “Health services are the basic need of any society. And there are many in the northeast who live in tough terrain and hilly areas, as well as areas that do not have medical facilities. People cannot travel miles and wait for medical aid, which is why we have come up with the plan for air dispensaries.”
The schedule for the doctors’ visits will be made as per the needs of people in particular regions, and made public in advance. The air dispensaries themselves will have medicines and other basic medical equipment on board. Patients requiring emergency assistance can be airlifted in these flying dispensaries.
The choice of states
The plan is to begin the pilot project in the states of Meghalaya and Manipur – the former is set to go to the polls and a BJP-led government rules the latter.
However, minister Singh said the proposal had nothing to do with the polls. Instead, he said these states had been shortlisted because they already had medical institutes from which doctors could be pulled for this new service – the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, Manipur, and the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Other plans for the polls
The DONER ministry is going all out to cite its achievements, particularly in terms of transport, which has always been a sore point in the northeast.
“We have been able to start railways in states that did not see railways for so many years. We are building new airports and air strips for more access in the northeast, and also focussing on inland waterways, as they are cost effective,” said Singh.
While the minister claims that the achievements have nothing to do with the elections, many in the BJP believe these initiatives could become important in the upcoming polls.