Kawardha (Chhattisgarh), May 7 (PTI) More than 1.16 lakh people have received healthcare services through 57 mobile medical units operating in Chhattisgarh under the Centre’s PM-JANMAN scheme, aimed at providing medical facilities in remote tribal areas, officials said on Thursday.
The mobile units, deployed under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), have so far organised over 5,500 medical camps across remote regions inhabited largely by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Chhattisgarh has seven PVTGs – Pahari Korwa, Birhor, Kamar, Abujhmadia, Baiga, Bhunjia and Pando. The state has a population of 2.3 lakh from these groups.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had flagged off these 57 mobile medical units (MMUs) on December 31 last year.
Equipped with modern facilities, the units function as “mobile hospitals” and provide more than 25 types of laboratory tests, officials said.
The MMUs have treated skin ailments, including fungal and bacterial infections, as well as health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Additionally, they have provided maternal and child healthcare services, besides addressing common infections like viral fever and typhoid, they said.
The units have been deployed in areas where access to healthcare remains a major challenge, including Orchha in Narayanpur district, Bade Rajpur in Kondagaon, Kusmi and Shankargarh in Balrampur, Antagarh and Bhanupratappur in Kanker, Mainpur, Devbhog and Chhura in Gariaband, Nagri in Dhamtari, Pali and Podi-Uproda in Korba, they said.
The MMUs have delivered healthcare services to residents of over 2,000 villages and settlements across 18 districts, a government official said.
The initiative has been helping in the early detection and prevention of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, anaemia and malnutrition, he said.
The mobile units have significantly reduced geographical barriers to healthcare and strengthened trust in medical services among tribal communities, said Chetan Sharma, project director of the private service provider firm operating the mobile medical unit (MMU) ambulances.
“More than 1.16 lakh patients have been provided healthcare services by over 5,500 medical camps through MMUs in remote and previously Naxal-affected areas,” Sharma said.
He said 57 MMUs, each staffed with a trained team comprising an MBBS doctor, a nurse and a laboratory technician, are currently operational in 18 districts of the state.
Yashoda Kaushik, a resident of Dani Ghatoli village in Kabirdham district, who received healthcare through an MMU at Charbhatha village on May 5, said she underwent blood pressure and sugar tests and also received free medicines.
“Now we do not have to travel to distant district hospitals for minor illnesses as the government’s healthcare facility is reaching our village itself,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Utara Bai Kaushik, said the arrival of medical vehicles in villages had brought major convenience to residents.
Kabirdham Chief Medical and Health Officer Devendra Kumar Turre said three MMUs are currently operating in the district under the central scheme — one each in Pandariya, Bodla and Lohara development blocks.
“These units are aimed at delivering healthcare services to regions where access to sub-health centres and hospitals is limited. Monthly rosters are prepared to ensure that the units visit remote and identified villages regularly,” he said. PTI COR TKP NR
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.