Nadda launches Mobile Medical Units for Assam tea gardens

Guwahati: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P Nadda on Tuesday launched 80 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) for Assam’s tea gardens, saying they would make healthcare accessible to the tea garden community.
Holding Assam’s identity is synonymous with its tea gardens, Nadda pointed out that the large working labourer population in the tea gardens are, however, yet to get health care facilities and that the high Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) among pregnant women in tea garden areas have been a major cause of worry so far.
“To address this concern, the MMUs have been launched to provide healthcare in interior tea gardens,” he said.
The 80 MMUs launched on Tuesday as part of first phase will cover 320 tea gardens of the state, with one MMU to cover four each, halting there for seven days at a stretch to attend to the patients.
Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given lot of impetus to development works in the northeast, the Union health Minister stated that setting up of the AIIMS near Guwahati would be a huge fillip to the healthcare scenario of the state as well as the region and Rs 1,000 crore has already been earmarked for it. (IANS)