The District Health Authority (DHA) has started a new project called Clinic-on-Wheels to provide treatment facilities to families with low-income backgrounds in rural areas of Rawalpindi.
The service is an ambitious attempt at providing essential medical services to citizens at their doorsteps.
Under the pilot project, the initiative which consists of seven vehicles will first be launched in the rural areas of Rawalpindi tehsil. After the completion of the pilot project, the service will be extended to rural areas of the other six tehsils in the district.
DHA has prepared the project under the guidance of provincial health minister Dr Jamal Nasir and Punjab health secretary.
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As part of the initiative, each vehicle will have a male doctor and female doctor, a nutrition officer, family planning staff, and laboratory test staff and will be equipped with essential medicines.
The doctors and staff present in the vehicles will prescribe and conduct tests and provide medicines to patients. Vaccination facilities will be provided for children under two years of age. Additionally, it will offer family planning counselling services for men and women to implement the “Kum Bacha Khushal Gharana” (Fewer Children, Prosperous Household) programme.
The family planning services will especially focus on newly married couples. They will be made aware of every child’s and their parent’s right to have a quality life that can be better maintained through conscious family planning. This includes proper planning regarding the number of children parents choose to have as well as birth spacing.
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Besides medical treatment, the Clinic-on-Wheels service will undertake awareness programmes for polio vaccination and prevention of dengue and epidemic diseases.
The DHA Chief Executive Dr Ejaz Ahmed said Dr Jamal Nasir and the Punjab health secretary have extended support to the DHA for the Clinic-on-Wheels project.
The health authority has been successful in developing a transport fleet of seven vehicles, each with a male doctor and a female doctor, a nutrition officer, support staff and family planning staff.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2023.
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