The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt launching 475 mobile clinics in rural areas

Hyderabad, Dec. 20 The Andhra Pradesh Government will launch 475 mobile medical clinics in rural areas to improve access to medicare for the poor and lower income groups in the State.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a meeting with officials of the Health Department and executives from EMRI and Satyam Computers, including its Chairman, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju.

The mobile clinics would render services in rural areas beyond 3 km reach from the Primary Health Centre (PHC). About four crore people, including eight lakh pregnant women, 28 lakh children (less than five years old) 80 lakh schoolgoing children and 70 lakh people with chronic health disorders are expected to benefit from the scheme, according to a release.

The mobile clinics will provide services for identification, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, record keeping and referral of risk cases in a habitation through convergent, comprehensive and regular once-a-month fixed day programme. The programme will also envisage training of 40,000 Asha workers, 40,000 Anganwadi workers and 40,000 RMPs and 1.4 lakh elected village representatives in planning community mobilisation for mosquito control, sanitation/hygiene and safe drinking water.

Each of the 475 mobile medical units, to be staffed by seven healthcare professionals, would cover 3,000 population daily totalling four crore people per month. Over 45,000 cell phones would be provided for the staff to tackle any emergency situation.

The Chief Minister, who had also reviewed the working of the Emergency Ambulance Services (108) and the Health Information System (104), asked the Telephone Department to make 104 toll free from landlines on the lines of 108.

Dr Reddy is likely to launch the Mobile Clinics programme on January 26 in the rural areas of Mahabubnagar, Anantapur and Srikakulam. The programme will later be extended all the districts in the State by October 2 next year, the release added.

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