SHILLONG: State-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), a Maharatna Public Sector Unit of the Union Ministry of Power, has donated a mobile medical van costing Rs14.80 lakh to Ramakrishna Mission Charitable Dispensary, Shillong under its CSR Initiative 2019-2020.
The van was handed over by PGCIL, Executive Director, B Anantha Sarma through the East Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner at a function on the premises of Ramakrishna Mission Charitable Dispensary here on Tuesday, which was attended by other officials of the powerhouse. The Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Shillong, Swami Sarvabhutananda besides Swami Divyaswarupananda and . P Nongbet from RKM Society has also attended the programme.
The PGCIL, Executive Director has informed that under its CSR Initiative in addition to the mobile medical unit, the central public sector giant shall also provide medical equipment worth of Rs.35 lakh for setting up of two tele-consultancy medical centres in Meghalaya to be operated by Ramakrishna Mission, Shillong by the second week of January, 2020.
The telemedicine project would create a turning point in resolving serious health issues of the patients. It would also help in equipping the medical staff at nodal centres to resolve similar issues that were handled by the expert medical practitioner at the referral centre. The Shillong Centre caters to about 1 lakh patients per year in its dispensary and another 90 thousand rural patients through its mobile medical unit. The Cherrapunjee centre of RKM too caters to more than a lakh rural patients through its mobile medical unit apart from about 30 thousand OPD patients from its dispensary.
All these patients are from the lower economic strata of the society who often do not continue referral treatment whenever needed if the same is not available in mission.
The present proposal can have the telemedicine referral centre at NEIGRIHMS Hospital and the nodal centres at the RKM dispensary each at Cherrapunjee and Shillong.
Apart from these CSR projects, PGCIL has recently provided one Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for disaster management and one High Mast Lighting System in Khliehriat, East Jaintia Hills district with a project cost of around Rs.19 lakh. As part of PGCIL’s medical related CSR Initiative, on December 2, an MoU has been signed between the corporation and state department of health services for providing hospital furniture and fixtures worth around Rs.47 lakh to the newly established cancer treatment wing at Civil Hospital.
