Rajasthan to roll out mobile OPD services from Wednesday

The Rajasthan government has decided to launch mobile OPDs from Wednesday in a bid to provide medical services to people near their doorstep in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown. For the initiative, the government will deploy 400 vans at the subdivisional level across the state, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, adding that the mobile units will be operational in both rural and urban areas.

People can approach the mobile OPD vans for general health-related problems, he said, stressing that regular patients are suffering as some hospitals have been dedicated to coronavirus treatment. If any person approaches the mobile OPD with serious illness, the chief medical and health official will be informed, who will ensure that the treatment starts on a priority at a government or private hospital, he told reporters during a video conference on Tuesday.

It is a testing time for private hospitals also and they should fulfil their responsibility, Gehlot said. Strict action will be taken against hospitals which deny treatment to people. It is the moral and social responsibility of private hospitals to provide treatment to patients who approach them, he said. The chief minister also said the state government has also decided to appoint 9,000 auxiliary and general nursing midwives. He advised the Union government to start preparations for the post-lockdown period. If the lockdown is over on May 3, then the government should start its preparations from now, he said.