Sovan Chatterjee inaugurates five mobile medical units of KMC
Kolkata: Mayor Sovan Chatterjee on Monday inaugurated five mobile medical units of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and announced the introduction of advanced pathological tests at various health units of the civic body.
"Our aim behind the introduction of these medical health units is to ensure that healthcare facilities reach the remotest areas of the city too," Chatterjee said.
Member Mayor-in-Council (health) Atin Ghosh said the five mobile health units will work in the wards, which have a considerable large area and a high population density.
"We have already identified 60 such wards. It will have all the facilities of our health units. It will be equipped with a doctor, a pharmacist, a laboratory technician, a pathologist and a driver cum helper.," Ghosh said.
The mobile units will cater to both communicable and non-communicable diseases similar to that of the health centres of the civic body located in its 144 wards.
A senior KMC health official said the advanced pathological tests will include blood tests to detect kidney-related ailments, liver function tests and cholesterol tests. Most of these pathological tests are expensive when done from private laboratories. But we will do it for free," the official added.
The civic body will soon introduce these advanced tests at its 15 dengue detection centres across the city.
"We are beginning with 6 such centres as the training process of the technicians to handle these sophisticated machines for conducting tests are still going on. The training will be completed soon," Ghosh said. The units that will have these facilities at the moment are at ward no. 11, 36, 62, 57, 96 and 132. It may be mentioned that more number people are visiting the health centres of the civic body with the present KMC board constantly overhauling the facilities available.
"Last year as many as 18 lakh people visited our health centres. Till date, more than 9 lakh people have already availed our facilities," Ghosh said
