A List of 10 Mobile Medical Units in India-Reaching the Unreached

Rural Health care is one of biggest challenges facing the Health Ministry of India. With more than 60% population living in rural areas and low level of health facilities, mortality rates due to diseases are on a high. 

Healthcare is the right of every individual but lack of quality base, shortage of qualified medical functionaries, and non- access to basic medicines and medical facilities thwarts its reach to 60% of population in India. A majority of 700 million people lives in rural areas where the condition of medical facilities is deplorable. Considering the picture of grim facts there is a dire need of new practices and procedures to ensure that quality and timely healthcare reaches the deprived corners of the Indian villages. Though a lot of policies and programs are being run by the Government but the success and effectiveness of these programs is questionable due to gaps in the implementation. 

Wockhardt Foundation’s MOBILE1000 initiative

Mobile1000’s vision is to win the hearts of the rural community through professional healthcare delivery. It aims to provide 1000 Mobile Health Vans to provide free primary healthcare to 25 million Indians in rural India. A Mobile Health Van fully equipped with a MBBS doctor and medicines providing ADCR (Awareness, Diagnosis, Cure, and Referral) primary healthcare services to the rural parts of India.

84 Mobile 1000 Vans are operating across the Country, providing help to 25,000 patients per year per van. Mobile1000 has helped over 171.47 lakh patients with free medicines.

Mobile100 provides services in Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat ,Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand , Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Tata Power’s CSR initiative Health and Hygiene at doorsteps

Tata powers have undertaken various health and hygiene initiatives in order to provide services to the underprivileged sections of society. In line with this allegiance, the Company distributed two Mobile Medical Vans (MMV) Pan Mumbai.

The intention behind this initiative was to provide free medical check-ups, medication and healthcare facilities at doorstep to the larger community who do not have access to good quality medical support.The mobile medical vans have been providing free discourse for more than two years and reached out to more than a lakh underprivileged people in Mumbai. While normal health services for basic illnesses like cough, cold, fever, infections, malaria, dengue, typhoid and hepatitis as well as specialized medical services are provided by the vans.

Through the mobile medical vans, Tata Power also identifies the most widespread disease as per the season and provides a road map for the cause accordingly. These visits also served as an educational platform for the society where citizens are taught about the Do’s and Don’ts to maintain proper and better hygiene, with a focus on preventive health.

Smile Foundation’s Smile on Wheels in partnership with Rural Electrification Corporation Limited

Smile on Wheel is a national level multi- centric project commenced by SMILE Foundation with an objective of providing all inclusive range of health care services to under-privileged community in outreach, remote rural areas and slums through an equipped mobile medical van. The initiative focuses on providing wide range of primitive, preventive and curative health services to the under-privileged.

Its main aim is to reach out directly to more than 3 lakh people, cover more than 20 lakh population through 30 Smile on Wheels in various cities of India. With this its plan is to create influence on the health care services so as to positively leave impression on the health indicators in each of the micro locations.

Bajaj Auto’s CSR initiative Janki Devi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sanstha Health

JBGVS community health programme centres on prevention rather than cure. The entirety of the programme is divided in 5 parts. They are awareness generation, training, field level delivery, drinking water & sanitation and support to Government schemes.

Primary health care programme is executed through Public Health Centres (PHCs). To dispense doorstep health care in 25 remote tribal villages in Pune, JBGVS operates a mobile clinic equipped with a doctor, a nurse and medicines. In last one year about 7000 patients have been treated. Specialized health check-up camps are organized in rural areas of Aurangabad & Wardha and critical cases are referred to Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital and Vinoba Bhave hospital respectively.

Helpage India’s healthcare initiative; Mobile Medical Units

The main aim of Helpage India is to make basic healthcare available to 1 milliondisadvantaged rural and urban people, particularly the elderly in under-served communities by 2020. Currently, they are reaching out through 1383 community locations and the plan is to reach out to the community from 2000 site locations by 2020.

The Mobi-Health service provides affordable and quality primary health care services at the doorsteps of the needy elderly. The Mobi-Health Unit (MHU) consists of a 4 wheeler with customized fabrication done to carry medicines, consumables & equipment. These units visit designated locations on a regular basis (weekly or fortnightly) as per a fixed schedule. The coverage of each MHU is 10 locations per week, on a two-shift (morning & afternoon) basis.

Each MHU team consists of a medical consultant, pharmacist, social worker & driver. Each Unit is equipped to provide primary health consultation, basic diagnostic services, free medicines, referrals to specialized health care providers and counselling services. The social worker also informs and educates the community on preventive healthcare, hygiene and Govt. Schemes.

Currently, it operates Asia's largest mobile healthcare network for elders, with 120 Mobile Health Units covering 108 districts in 23 states with 1491 site locations providing 1.76 million free treatments per annum to 2.5 lakh beneficiaries.

Hope Project’s Hope on Wheels

The Mobile Medical unit delivers preventive healthcare and education to poor children andyouth Delhi’s remote settlement colonies where the need is great but the services are short.

“Hope on Wheels” is a specially outfitted bus that provides preventive and advance medical services to these colonies.  The focus remains on health care and education for children and youth (age 6 to 18) many of whom are out of school and working. With limited support of caring adults and families for their welfare, they are amongst the most vulnerable segments of society.

The mobile clinic visits four different locations, offering primary, advance, preventive and curative health care with emphasis on the former. Health education is offered especially to children and women.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited CSR initiative supported by Wockhardt Foundation - Dhanwantri

The main aim of this initiative is to provide awareness, diagnostic and curative services through Mobile Medical Units to the rural community and to address the unfavourable situation of health requirements and to provide basic medical facilities to people in need at remote rural areas and urban slums, HPCL CSR partnering with ground level NGOs are running seven Mobile Medical Vans in states of Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

These vans provide basic medical attention to total populace in 75 villages. Through this partnership HPCL has ensured medical facilities at the doorsteps of villagers providing basic treatments for common ailments, health awareness and make necessary referrals for major ailments.

MMV runs on all working days and over 100 people availing the services of MMV/day.

IndianOil’s CSR initiative; Sachal Swasthya Seva

In January 2012, IndianOil launched a primary mobile healthcare system titled “IndianOilSachal Swasthya Seva” for running 52 Mobile Medical Units (MMU) in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh. MMUs are linked to small format rural retail outlets called ‘Kisan Seva Kendras’ (KSK). MMUs travel to the villages in the locality of KSKs with a four member team headed by a Doctor (MBBS) to provide free primary healthcare and free medicines. During 2014-15, 14.44 lakh patients were treated by 52 MMUs and during the last three years, more than 40 lakh patients have been treated. This project has completed its tenure and MMUs will be handed over to the respective state Government for operation.

GMR Group’s Mobile Medical Unit

GMRVF has joined hands with HelpAge India to run Mobile Medical Units in Rajahmundry, Shamshabad, Warora and Kakinada to provide medical facilities to elders.

The MMU Van visits the assigned communities on a regular basis and offers services such as medical consultation, dispensing medicines, conducting medical counselling etc. for elders. The MMU staff members also make house visits to provide health services to the elders who need alleviatory care. The unit also refers beneficiaries to various health institutions in case of need. The MMU program enables the elders to play an active role in the society by promoting healthy and active ageing.

MMUs conduct free check-ups and dispense medicines to people of 60+ age group. They also attend to lower age groups in case of emergencies or when mobility of the patient becomes a problem. The van equipped with all basic medical equipment, medicines with a doctor, pharmacist and a social worker from HelpAge readily available.

Considering the remoteness of project villages and the lack of availability of medical facilities, the MMU at Kakinada is offering healthcare services to the people of all age-groups.

Mirza International’s Healthcare Initiative

To provide medical facilities to the economically weaker sections of the society on charitable basis, Mirza International launched Mobile Medical unit. Through the MMU’s, medical facilities are extended to needy people living in different villages in the District. This includes; Free medical consultation, free distribution of medicines, basic diagnostics, homecare for bedridden elderly, sensitization and training and referral services for special treatments.

Their main activity is to organise free eye camp every year. The highlights of this camp being; eye check up for over 400 patients, 190 successful eye operations, post operation medicines and optical glasses and free boarding facilities and lodging to the patients.

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