Ernakulam Karayogam Rolls out Clinic on Wheels for Healthcare Services with BPCL Support

KOCHI:
Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, Niti Ayog has flagged off the Clinic on Wheels (COW), the mobile medical clinic launched by Ernakulam Karayogam with the CSR support of BPCL-Kochi Refinery to render quality healthcare services to the marginalised sections of the society.

The function which was held virtually was attended by Arun K.Singh, Acting & Designate Chairman, BPCL Ltd and Sanjay Khanna, Executive Director, BPCL-Kochi Refinery the other day. COW, the state-of-the-art medical facility, has been conceived to offer consultancy services of doctors, conducting clinical tests and supply of medicines to the people who are living in the remote areas of Ernakulam district. The objective of the project is to extend healthcare facilities at free of cost to the needy at their doorstep, says Alappat Muralidharan President, P.Ramachandran (Venu), General secretary, Treasurer K.T. Mohanan of Ernakulam Karayogam.

Lakshmi Hospital, Ernakulam, one of the leading hospitals in Ernakulam offering speciality healthcare services at affordable cost, has been roped in as the medical partner for the project as part of giving manpower supply to the mobile medical unit. The mobile van will be deployed in each area as per the instructions from the BPCL. With an ambient consultation space, the facilities in the van include a well-equipped lab with major diagnostic facilities, medicine dispensation area, providing diagnostic care of blood, glucose, pregnancy testing, cancer detection and so on. The van is also equipped to create awareness programmes for child health, geriatric and communicable diseases as part of educating the society on the lifestyle changes and its impact on health.

To begin with, COW will be deployed for Covid vaccination in rural and coastal areas. The District Collector Jafar Malik has assured to make necessary arrangements with the Health Department for the supply of adequate vaccines, Ernakulam Karayogam office bearers said.

For the time being, the services of COW will be confined to Ernakulam and plans to extend the facility to the neighbouring districts of Alappuzha and Thrissur for the benefit of the community. According to Mr Ramachandran, “the rolling out of COW has added a new dimension in our charity initiatives as we are serving the society for more than 9 decades. Today Ernakulam Karayogam adorns a very dominant position in the social and cultural arena of Kochi. We are in the forefront of extending services in the spheres of education, healthcare, housing or any other welfare measures. Our services have een widely appreciated by the government machinery during the time of floods and the Covid outbreak for providing free food and other essentials to the all affected persons”, he said.

More such community development programmes are in the offing with the support of various organisations. “We are pursuing a new project Child Home for Girls in association with the District Child Welfare Committee by constructing few houses in the land owned by Ernakulam Karayogam at Thrikkadappilli near Cherai. Each house will accommodate five children and a foster mother to take care of them.