The new facility aims to make healthcare accessible and affordable to patients who currently need to travel a long way to seek modern treatment
The Amrita Health Center in South Andaman has opened a satellite clinic in Bambooflat, a small settlement of 8,000 people 8.5 km away across a strait that is accessible only with a ferry ride. The new facility aims to make healthcare accessible and affordable to patients who currently need to travel a long way to seek modern treatment.
The Amrita Health Center at South Andaman’s Shadipur has also been upgraded with a new CT scanner, ambulance, and physiotherapy and lab equipment. The facility is connected via a telemedicine satellite link with the super-specialty Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala. It provides daily out-patient consultations to about 25 people, alongside home care services for people who are bed-ridden. The center also runs an ECG and X-Ray machine.
Volunteers with the Amriteswari Society, Singapore, led the project for the new equipment and further outreach.
The health center was started by Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) after her first visit to Andaman in 2008 after witnessing suffering among the people in the area. Her immediate priority was to establish dependable medical services for them.