Buoyed by the encouraging response mobile medical units in Dantewada and Bastar districts are getting, the government has now decided to expand this facility of health checkup and medical treatment to haat-bazaars of other remote areas of Chhattisgarh from October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.

Medical teams comprising doctors and paramedical staff would visit haat-bazaars with mobile medical units stocked with sufficient stock of medicines.

Villagers will be able to avail health checkup and medical treatment in the haat-bazaaars.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel issued a letter to all the district collectors, stating guidelines for implementation of the scheme, official sources said. 

Chief Minister directed the district collectors to earmark haat-bazaars in respective districts and present a proper action plan to send well-equipped mobile medical units in these places of public gatherings by September 15. He also directed them to arrange for medical teams as per the number of bazaars being held in the district every day.

Chief Minister has stated in the letter that providing health services in remote areas, especially tribal regions, of the state is challenging task. Because of the remote location, it is difficult for people to reach government health centres and avail medical treatment.

Baghel further stated in the letter that the pilot project of sending medical team to all the haat-bazaars of Dantewada, Bastar and a few other districts started in June.

“Results of this initiative are extremely promising. Now this project will be expanded to other remote areas of the state,” he added.

Chief Minister stated that if there is any lack of resources in the district, proper action plan should be made to meet the requirement.

Initially, medical teams should be sent to the haat-bazaars as an experiment and separate record of patients and medical treatment provided to them by the medical team should be maintained.

Baghel also stated in the letter that from October 2, medical teams should be sent to haat-bazaars regularly.

All the Collectors have been directed to submit their action plan in this regard by September 15.

They have also been given instructions to ensure wide publicity of this initiative.

Chief Minister hoped that this scheme will be successfully implemented to provide healthcare services to people living in remote areas of the state.