Seeking to cater to areas hit by natural or man-made disasters, Government would soon come out with the first ever mobile hospitals in the country which can be set up at any calamity stricken region within a short span of six hours. The decision to set up five mobile hospitals, which would cost Rs 30 crore each, was taken by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) three years back, Dr Shakti Gupta, member of the NDMA steering committee told reporters here. "The work is in progress and would be completed soon," he said. The 200-bedded hospices would have 10-12 units each comprising of Intensive Care Units (ICU), blood banks, operation theatres and even kitchens. "As soon as we get to know of calamity hit areas, these hospitals can be airlifted there and can be set up within six hours," he said.
The project which has been conceptualised by the NDMA would work under the aegis of the Union Home Ministry with due assistance from other nodal ministries like health and family welfare. The hospitals would be positioned at the north, east, west, south and central parts of the country so that they can be rushed to the disaster-hit areas of any of these regions. "These would be the first ever fully mobile hospitals in the country," Gupta said, adding the Government had earlier experimented with pre-fabricated hospitals during the Bhuj earthquake on a smaller scale. WHO Deputy Regional Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said, post-Bhuj earthquake the Indian Government has become more cautious regarding safety of hospitals and other health facilities.
"Most of the hospitals in Gujarat which have been rebuilt for example have been made earthquake proof," she said. According to Gupta, all the upcoming six AIIMS like hospitals and the new medical colleges have been made disaster resistant. "Most of these provisions would apply in case of terror threats also," he added. Gupta also favoured networking within hospitals across the country during calamity to ensure that all patients are accommodated and get adequate care. WHO country representative to India, Salim Habayab said the Government was also preparing an atlas of all districts in the country which would list disaster prone areas and nearby hospitals.
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