MMUs to provide better care to Assam tea garden workers

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday flagged off mobile medical units (MMUs) or 'mini hospitals on the move' to provide healthcare facilities to tea garden workers in Assam. Launching the MMUs here, Nadda termed this a historic initiative of the government, which will make healthcare accessible to the tea community of the state.

Stating that Assam's identity is synonymous with its tea gardens, but the large labourer population in the tea estates have not been given access to quality healthcare, Nadda said the high Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) among pregnant women in tea garden areas due to anaemia and other diseases are a major cause of worry and the lack of healthcare infrastructure in the gardens have not been helping the matter.

To address this concern, dedicated MMUs have been launched to provide healthcare in interior tea gardens, Nadda said. The semi-static MMUs will be operational in 320 tea gardens where healthcare facilities have been found to be inadequate, he said at a function to mark the occasion.

Altogether 320 tea gardens where existing healthcare facilities are not adequate and which need immediate care, will be covered by 80 MMU vehicles, Nadda said. One MMU will cover four tea gardens and will operate for seven days in one tea garden and then move to the next tea garden, the minister said.

Nadda said depending on the performance of these MMUs, more such units will be added in the coming days, which will bring down the operational gap from one month to 15 days.

Stating Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a lot of impetus to development works in the North East region, he said setting up of AIIMS in Guwahati will be a huge fillip to the healthcare scenario of the state as well as the region and Rs 1,000 crore has already been earmarked for the medical education institute.

Each MMU will have two vehicles, one of them equipped with out patient department (OPD), diagnostic, laboratory facilities and information education communication (IEC) materials, while the second vehicle will be for transportation of human resources, a release said.

The project officer of the service provider is entrusted to coordinate with National Health Mission and tea garden management for forming cluster and allotting the MMU.