MMUs to provide doorstep healthcare services in Odisha

Each MMU will have a qualified doctor, a nurse, a laboratory technician, a pharmacist, essential medicines, diagnostic kit and awareness material on health and hygiene

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Petroleum Minister flagged off 11 mobile medical units (MMUs) with an aim to provide doorstep healthcare facilities in rural Odisha.Out of the 11 MMUs, six have been sponsored by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, four by GAIL (India) and one by Oil and Natural Gas (ONGC) as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, officials said.

Each MMU will have a qualified doctor, a nurse (ANM), a laboratory technician, a pharmacist, essential medicines, diagnostic kit (Swashtya Jaanch Machine) and awareness material on health and hygiene, they said. The MMUs are GPS enabled so that their movement can be tracked on a real time basis, officials said.

Each MMU will cover villages within a range of 25 to 40 km from its base. One MMU will be able to cover four to five villages in a day on a regular basis, they said.During emergencies, The MMUs would be able to function as referral clinics and as ambulances also, an official added.
Reportedly, the facilities extended through the MMUs will also include quarterly eye screening and medical health check-up camps, free distribution of sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and women in villages, free distribution of Shuddhu tablets for purification of water and information, education and communication (IEC) materials for creating awareness on Swachhata, health and hygiene issues, officials elaborated.