The Malkangiri administration launched a mobile boat hospital on Tuesday at the Jambai reservoir of Chitrakunda block in an effort to provide better healthcare facility to over 15,000 villagers in more than 100 villages of the cut-off area situated across the Balimela reservoir.
Officials said the boat dispensary service named after the Gurupriya river will float on water and has been equipped with all facilities generally available at a dispensary. The boat will move from village to village inside the reservoir to treat patients.
The boat Gurupriya was inaugurated by Chitrakonda MlA Damburu Sisa along with Collector K Sudarashan Chakaravarthy and CDMO Uday Shankar Mishra. Sisa said it will benefit a large no of people staying in the rural pockets who are suffering a lot due to non availability of doctors.
“There will be a permanent doctor, a pharmacist and other staff at the mobile boat health unit. It will be stationed at the Chitrakonda dam ferry point. A route chart has been prepared and each day the boat will visit different villages,” said Malkangiri Collector Chakravarthy.
According to the Collector, the boat is equipped with medicines, special cabins to treat patients and a pathology unit to conduct various tests for the villagers and will work as a lifeline for the rural pockets, he added.
Earlier, there was boat ambulance service in the area through which serious patients were shifted to the Chitrakonda Hospital. This new service will enable patients to be treated on the spot. “Around Rs 70 lakh has been spent for the mobile health unit,” the Collector informed.
The administration is hopeful that healthcare facilities can be strengthened in the cut-off area before monsoon, a time when large numbers of people in the region fall prey to malaria.
On the occasion there is also a Maa Ghara facility for accommodation to the pregnant lady. It was simultaneously inaugurated where the pregnant lady will be kept for seven days before delivery so to provide them proper care.