Union minister flags off ‘Aarogya doctor on wheels’ ambulance in J&K’s Udhampur

Jammu, Aug 11 (PTI) Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday flagged off ‘Aarogya doctors on wheels’ ambulance to provide doorstep medical services in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district.

The initiative is aimed at providing healthcare services to people of far-flung villages at their doorsteps free of cost, Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s office, said.

Participating in an exhibition on National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in his home constituency Udhampur, the minister explained the working of the mobile ambulance and said the entire exercise of patient examination and providing a prescription is accomplished in about 45 minutes, which may in normal course of action, take days if the patient has to be physically examined at a hospital.

“A patient can now narrate his medical problem through his native language and the ‘Doctor on wheels’ responds to the patient in the same language”, he said.

Describing the novel initiative as a healthcare start-up which should be promoted at a mass scale, he pitched for more CSR contributions for further growth and sustenance of this experiment so that more and more people benefit from it.

The minister also held a public durbar at Chenani and interacted with women self help groups (SHGs) and startups.

“Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is not only supporting women SHGs to increase their livelihoods but is also promoting avenues of self-employment for the local youth,” he said.

The minister said the women SHGs engaged through this mission have become ‘atmanirbhar’ themselves and are also providing employment opportunities to other women and the youth.

“Lakhpati Didis–SHG Didis who are earning sustainable income and have become role models in the society, will transform the rural economy,” he said.

Singh said DAY-NRLM, a flagship programme of the government, is the world’s largest initiative to improve the livelihoods of the poor.

Talking about the infrastructure development of the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency, he said roads under PMGSY and highways are being built at a rapid pace with an objective to improve both connectivity in remote areas and reduce travel time.

“The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is focussed on consolidating the gains of the last 10 years to transform the rural landscape,” he said.

At the public durbar, Singh directed the district level officers to attend to people’s issues and demands in a speedy manner.

He said the government is committed to addressing people’s issues and that is why he has been himself meeting citizens in such public durbars over the last few weeks to ensure redressal and resolution of their issues at the earliest.