WBPDCL mulls Rs 2.6 crore mobile health plan for villages at Pachhwara coal mine

Kolkata: The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) has launched a Rs 2.6 crore initiative to take primary healthcare services to villages located around its Pachhwara North coal mining project.

Sources confirmed that the state-run power utility has floated a tender to operate, maintain, and manage one mobile medical unit (MMU) that will deliver healthcare services across eight villages in the mining lease area of the Pachhwara North Coal Mine.

An official said the initiative aims to bridge gaps in healthcare access in remote mining belt areas where residents often have limited medical facilities nearby. “The objective is to bring essential health services closer to people living around the mining project. The mobile unit will visit the villages regularly and provide consultations, medicines, and basic treatment,” the official added.

The project has an estimated operational cost of Rs 2.59 crore, excluding the cost of medicines and applicable taxes. The selected agency will be responsible for running the mobile medical unit, deploying healthcare personnel, and ensuring regular visits to the designated villages.

The mobile clinic will function as a travelling healthcare facility equipped with medical staff and essential medicines. It is expected to provide consultations, minor procedures, and basic treatment, while also distributing medicines to patients.

The programme will also include health awareness and community outreach activities aimed at promoting preventive healthcare and sanitation practices among residents in the mining belt.

Officials said the initiative forms part of WBPDCL’s broader efforts to strengthen community welfare programmes in areas surrounding its mining operations.

According to the tender conditions, bidders must have at least three years’ experience in running mobile medical units, dispensaries, or similar healthcare services and should have handled projects catering to at least 500 people per month under a single order.

Officials said the mobile medical unit is expected to provide regular healthcare support to communities living in the Pachhwara mining region once the service becomes operational, particularly for elderly residents, women and children who often struggle to access medical facilities in remote mining areas.