Free Mobile Medical Units to boost Odisha rural healthcare drive

Bhubaneswar, August 20, 2017: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday flagged of 11 mobile medical units (MMUs)
here on Sunday in order to provide doorstep healthcare facility in rural areas
in Odisha. The service will be available free of cost. 

The global positioning system (GPS)-enabled MMUs were the
initiative of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, GAIL (India) Ltd and Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation Ltd as part of their corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiative.

“These MMUs are GPS enabled so that their movements can be
tracked on a real time basis and will cover a range of upto 40 KM from base
location,” said the Union Minister.

Each MMU has a qualified doctor, nurse, laboratory technician
and pharmacist, including necessary medicines and diagnostic kit to provide
medical facility at the doorstep. The MMUs will visit five villages in a day across
in the State and can cater to the health needs of 90 to 100 people daily.  During any emergency situation, the units can
also be used as referral clinics and as ambulance.

Apart from providing basic health services, the MMUs will
also provide quarterly eye screening and medical health check up camps, free
distribution of Moksha Sanitary Napkins to girls and women in villages, free
distribution of Shuddhu tables for purification of water. The mobile units will
also create awareness on cleanliness, health and hygiene issues.