20 medical teams to be formed to operate mobile clinics in Gurugram

These teams will visit different areas of the districts in Haryana Roadways buses, which will be converted into mobile clinics, to provide general OPD services and trace people exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms.

To address the regular medical issues of citizens left unaddressed due to the unfolding of the Covid-19 crisis, the state health department, on Monday, directed all district administrations to form 20 teams, consisting of doctors, paramedics and pharmacist, to operate mobile dispensaries.

A health worker wearing face mask seen carrying vegetables at Khandsa Road, Sabji Mandi, in Gurugram, Monday, April 13, 2020. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

These teams will visit different areas of the districts in Haryana Roadways buses, which will be converted into mobile clinics, to provide general OPD services and trace people exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms.

“For mobile dispensaries to function, a minimum of 20 teams have to be formed, which will include doctors, paramedics and pharmacists. They will visit their assigned areas, examine the health condition of people who approach them for check-ups and provide them with medicine,” additional chief secretary of the health department Rajeev Arora said, adding that this service should become operational latest by Wednesday.

In his address on Friday, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said there are 250 mobile dispensaries in the state and their number will be increased to 500. The Haryana Roadways has been instructed to make its fleet available to run these mobile clinics.

On Monday, Haryana Roadways officials said they have received instructions from the principal secretary of transport and are awaiting a response from the district administration and chief medical officer.

Four buses of the Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) are being used to carry health teams from hospitals to containment zones, for door-to-door surveys and thermal screening.

District surveillance officer Sudha Garg said the department has received the order and has been preparing the plan to start the service. She said the survey of Sector 39 containment zone is over and at least 7,800 people were screened with the help of 19 teams. She added that 27 teams have been formed specifically for Pataudi, from where five cases have been reported and 20 teams have been formed to visit village Raipur in Sohna, from where 10 cases have been reported.

As part of the order, from Tuesday, normal OPDs will start at community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centre (PHCs). At the Sector 10 Civil Hospital, doctors have started operating five OPDs—three for flu, one for general medicine and one for paediatrics—in an open area which has been covered by tents.

“Except maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit, none of the health facilities are operating at the Civil Hospital as Covid-19 cases are coming to give samples. For the protection of doctors and health staff, we have set up these tents. We have three flu OPDs as most of the people visiting us are worried about having Covid-19 symptoms. We have demarcated areas to ensure basic social distancing rules are followed,” said a doctor at the flu centre, who preferred not to be named.