Maya’s mobile health units yet to roll

Thirty units were expected in February. By March 15,another 30 were to come and 45 more were to arrive by March 30. The remaining 28 were to come by April 15.

But till now,apart from the two units flagged off by Mayawati,which are operating in Ghazipur and Kushinagar,the rest are missing.

A budget of Rs 42.68 crore was approved by the Centre for these units in the last year’s Project Implementation Plan for Uttar Pradesh under NRHM. Health officials say the units will be functional by the month-end.

“We have formed a committee and the MMUs will be functional very soon,” said Dr Usha Narayan,Director General of Family Welfare. The delay occurred because the final fabrication and internal design of the units were handed to the supplier companies earlier this month,officials said.

“The chassis of the vehicles have already been procured,” said a senior medical official. “About 90 per cent of the MMUs will be functional by March 30.”

The mobile units were meant for 133 blocks spread over 15 districts ¿ Banda,Chitrakoot,Hamirpur,Mahoba,Jalaun,Jhansi,Lalitpur,Sonebhadra,Mirzapur,Chandauli,Ghazipur,Kushinagar,Deoria,Mau and Ballia. They were to cater to rural people whom the government health centers are unable to help.

The units are to provide facilities including mother and child healthcare,immunisation programmes as well as some of the services provided at government health centers. In case of childbirth,the unit will refer the cases to the nearest government facilities.

Each unit is to have a medical officer — a pharmacist,a staff nurse or an ANM,a lab technician,a Class IV employee and a driver. While the Health Department is to provide the infrastructure for the scheme,private players have been roped in for hiring staff on contract basis.