| MMU vans send to hilly districts proved unproductive | | Unable to tread small heights, only viable in plains | | Akshay Azad
Jammu, Oct 3: The much hyped ambitious health care initiative of sending Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) vans send by Health department to hilly districts of state are totally unsuccessful as the vans are reportedly unable to tread even small elevation in roads, defeating the very purpose for which it were send.
Sources informed Early Times that with much fanfare the so called ambitious health care initiative, Mobile Medical Units, envisaged under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched by Department of Health.
The cost of one MMU was around Rs. 27 Lakhs, and the van is equipped with all facilities available in Intensive Care Unit including Ventilator, Oxygen kit, Generator set, X-ray facility, ultra-sonography and electrocardiography (ECG).
"The primary aim of sending MMUs to hilly districts was to cater primary preventive, curative, promotive and referral health needs of the people in the un-served remote areas at their doorsteps", sources said, adding that but the MMUs send in Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, were unable to scale small elevations on roads.
"After fitting of these heavy equipments in the van (Tempo travelers), same has become overweighed and unable to run on average speed", sources said.
Sources further informed that one could easily gauge the failure of these MMUs, as the vans sendfor Doda and Kishtwar took nearly more than three days to reach their destinations from Jammu city.
An official in Health department informed that none of the vehicle was able to reach hilly areas, for which the scheme was actually launched and vans were send under NRHM.
He further said that even in some of the districts, against the requirement of three employees apart from driver in each MMU, only driver has been running the affairs.
"It is just wastage of public money and these vans are proved as white elephants and the people living in hilly areas remain untouched from the health care facilities at door steps, as envisaged", he said.
When the MMUs were sent to Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda, the then Health Minister Shabir Ahmed Khan had claimed that the vans would provide medicare and other diagnostic facilities to people of the remote areas at their doorsteps, which seemingly was merely a claim and nothing more.
Director Health Jammu BS Pathani's phone was switched off while Mission Director NRHM didn't pick up his phone. |
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