Ludhiana: ₹1-crore mobile medical unit gathering dust for years

The district administration is set to introduce two more such vans to provide free health checkup, deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal has said the new vans would be operated in partnership with private players

Though the district administration on Thursday announced that two new mobile medical vans would be introduced to provide free-health checkups for the public, a mobile medical unit (MMU) parked at the civil surgeon’s office complex has been gathering dust for years. It was bought in 2009 at a whopping cost of ₹1 crore, said a health official, seeking anonymity.

Parked at the civil surgeon’s office, a mobile medical unit bus has not been used since the Covid outbreak. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

He said it was last used during the Covid-19 pandemic for the vaccination drive. It has been equipped with an X-ray machine, electrocardiogram, pathology laboratory and an examination room.

The crew operating the MMU included a doctor, a radiographer, a lab technician, staff nurses, a helper and a driver. The doctors’ post is vacant at present, and interestingly all other crew members have been posted to other places.

When civil surgeon Dr Pardeep Mohindra was approached to ask as to why the MMU was not being used, he didn’t respond to multiple calls and texts.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said the new vans would be in partnership with private players. “Doctors will be provided by them (private players),” he said.

DC Jorwal had on Thursday met officials and representatives from NGOs. He stated that the district administration would purchase these specially designed vans from Red Cross Society funds. Each van will be staffed daily by a specialist doctor and medical interns to perform health check-ups for people at their homes. A detailed duty roster will be prepared for the mobile medical vans.

Jorwal added that the mobile vans would be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to provide high-quality medical care. They will be capable of conducting tests such as blood pressure readings, ECGs, HIV tests, and many more, in addition to offering other treatment and diagnostic services.