Sikkim: Armed forces collaborate to provide healthcare support in remote villages of Gangtok

As part of the Armed Forces initiative, today, the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have jointly undertaken the initiative for Nation Building to support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in providing healthcare support to citizens hailing from remote villages of Changgu and Thegu in Gangtok Tehsil, located along our Northern borders, during the Medical Camp that has been successfully conducted by Field Hospital jointly with the CHC / PHC of East Sikkim District, under the banner of Vibrant Village Programme of the Govt of India. 

The medical camp provided access to healthcare for people who often have difficulty accessing healthcare. The Government approved the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 15 February 2023, with a financial outlay of Rs 4800 Crore for the FY 2022-23 to 2025-26, for the comprehensive development of the select villages in 46 blocks in 19 districts abutting Northern Borders in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttrakhand and UT of Ladakh. 

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The objective of the programme is the comprehensive development of these remote villages to improve the quality of life of people. 

The programme envisages focused areas of interventions for the creation of opportunities for livelihood generation through the promotion of agriculture, horticulture, tourism & cultural heritage, skill development and entrepreneurship, development of co-operative societies for managing livelihood opportunities including agriculture/horticulture, cultivation of medicinal plants/herbs, road connectivity, housing & village infrastructure, energy including renewable energy, television & telecom connectivity, financial inclusion, etc. 

With its motto, “Sarve Santu Niramaya”, the Armed Forces Medical Services have played an ambivalent role in today’s medical camp by providing healthcare to beneficiaries.