Need for Mobile Clinics in India

Need ffor medical vans

India’s population is expanding and urbanisation is accelerating day by day. The population’s medical needs cannot be met by the medical staff and facilities that currently exist. As a result, there is a demand-supply gap in the nation. The inability to access secondary and tertiary government health services, as well as the three-tiered system’s improper operation, are the other significant obstacles to efficient health care utilisation. Tele-consultation is one example of a technological intervention that has consistently attempted to address this dilemma with varying degrees of success.

The post-Covid situation in India

Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in the healthcare sector. The use of connected devices, an emphasis on illness prevention, and improved patient participation are a few of the major improvements. The mobile healthcare business has benefited from COVID-19’s disruption of the national healthcare system.

Purpose of Medical Clinics in India

Even though there are better public and private healthcare facilities in urban areas, the urban poor is unable to access them because of the high cost, discrimination, and perceived unfriendly environment at government hospitals, as well as a lack of information and assistance to access these healthcare facilities. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposed launching the National Urban Health Mission, which would function similarly to the National Rural Health Mission in order to address the health issues facing the urban poor population.

It will take some time until this health care infrastructure is available to every urban resident. Though, Mobile health clinics are one option for providing primary healthcare to the disadvantaged population of urban regions.

The remaining 45 dispensaries are managed in partnership with non-governmental organisations by Delhi Health Services. The mobile health team provides services such as immunisation, community health promotion, including diarrhoea management, antenatal care, child nutrition, family planning, information education and communication (disease awareness, sexually-transmitted diseases), referral and basic laboratory tests, primary medical care, mental health treatment, and addiction counselling.

Need of Mobile Clinics in India

The disease burden is quite high, and India’s urban poor are exposed to a wide variety of disease-causing factors. Therefore, it is vital to offer all citizens access to high-quality services and all levels of medical facilities. Urban mobile health clinics are essential for providing healthcare services, especially to the most vulnerable members of society, for whom they are

Frequently their only source of care. Improving access to the health system is one of the mobile health clinic’s additional goals.

Benefits of Mobile Clinics

  • Availability: Mobile healthcare clinics are equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables them to provide on-demand care and interventions in a variety of specialities, including endoscopy, x-ray/ultrasound and CT scans, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, urology, and general surgery.
  • Complete Treatment: Contrary to popular assumption, some doctors’ consulting rooms and clinics are just as equipped as mobile clinics. This means that people obtain complete primary healthcare without having to go to district hospitals, including consultation, testing, treatment, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and a wide range of professional services.
  • Quality: The same compliance and quality assurance rules that apply to hospitals and clinics also apply to mobile healthcare clinics. The Department of Health and Office of the Health Ombudsman also subject mobile clinics to internal and external audit procedures. These rules guarantee that patients of mobile clinics receive the same high standard of treatment from qualified medical professionals.
  • Shared Advantage: Delivering inexpensive healthcare at a community level can prove to be very difficult. For communities that live outside of urban areas, this is especially true. Mobile medical clinics offer a simple answer to this catch-22 situation. First, since several communities can share the infrastructure of these units, expenses can also be spread out. Second, mobile clinics deliver healthcare to individuals in need, including those who live in rural and isolated places.
  • Accessibility: Since they were positioned outside of urban centres and commercial hubs due to historical spatial design, isolated communities have long been without access to high-quality healthcare. In order to remove these obstacles, mobile healthcare provides everyone with access to high-quality medical treatment.
  • Convenience: Whether they reside in towns, townships, informal settlements, or rural areas, mobile clinics can make sure that more people have access to primary and diagnostic healthcare that is brought closer to their homes. Every citizen has access to healthcare thanks to a mobile unit’s convenience in being in any location.