Assam government, Hans Foundation to provide mobile healthcare to tea garden workers

Assam state government, in a bid to enhance access to quality healthcare for tea garden communities in the state, has partnered with The Hans Foundation (THF) to launch a Mobile Medical Unit Project. The initiative will deploy 40 fully-equipped medical vans to provide diagnosis and basic treatment across 120 tea gardens in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts.

The Labour Welfare Department and THF recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to roll out the project, which aims to address the healthcare needs of one of the state's most deprived communities.

According to B Kalyan Chakravarthy, Principal Secretary, Labour Welfare Department, this long-term project will offer quality healthcare to tea garden workers and their families. It will also curb the practice of seeking treatment from sorcerers due to lack of modern medical facilities.

The existing healthcare facilities in tea gardens will continue to operate, with the mobile medical units complementing the ongoing system.

Under the five-year MoU, the 40 medical vans, equipped with healthcare professionals, will provide regular check-ups, treatments, preventive care, counselling, and awareness sessions. The first batch of 24 vehicles will be operational from July 1.

Each van will have a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, laboratory technician, and a driver, offering services 22 days a month, informed Krishna, THF's regional senior manager.

THF, a Gurgaon-based charitable trust, will invest around Rs 20 crore in the project, covering the cost of vehicles, equipment, and staff salaries. The Labour Welfare Department and district authorities will provide administrative assistance.

In the second phase, THF plans to establish wellness centres in tea gardens for mother and child care, focussing on addressing issues like anaemia and high maternal mortality rates among tea garden women. (With inputs from PTI)