Mobile Health Unit

Support to Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) under NHM, now encompassing both NRHM and NUHM is a key strategy to facilitate access to public health care particularly to people living in remote, difficult, under-served and unreached areas. The objective of this strategy is to take healthcare to the doorstep of populations, particularly rural, vulnerable and under-served areas. This is not meant to transfer patients.

MMU services are envisaged to meet the technical and service quality standards for a Primary health Centre through provision of a suggested package of services under 12 thematic areas- Maternal Health, Neonatal and Infant Health, Child and Adolescent health, Reproductive Health and Contraceptive Services, Management of Chronic Communicable Diseases, Management of Common Communicable Diseases & basic OPD care (acute simple illnesses), management of Common Non-Communicable Diseases, Management of mental Illness, Dental Care, Eye Care/ENT Care, Geriatric Care and Emergency Medicine. These services are provided free of cost through MMUs, besides enabling referrals.

There is usually one vehicle per MMU, however, in case of more than one vehicle:

• One vehicle is used for transport of medical and para-medical personnel.
• Second vehicle is used for carrying equipment/ accessories and basic laboratory facilities.
• Third vehicle carries diagnostic equipments such as X-Ray, ultrasound, ECG machine and generator.

Deployment of MMUs is based on a population norm with 1 MMU per 10 lakh population subject to a cap of 5 MMUs per district. However, further relaxation of norms is available on a case to case basis, where patients served through existing MMUs exceeds 60 patients per day in plain areas and 30 patients per day in hilly areas, based on the appraisal of proposals submitted by the respective states in this regard. Support to the states/UTS for MMUs is provided both for capital cost as well as operational cost within the ceiling of specified financial norms. The approved operational cost/ recurring cost with a diagnostic van is Rs.24 lakhs, while it is Rs. 28 lakhs for North Eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The recommended human resource per MMU is one medical officer, one nurse, one lab technician, one pharmacist cum administrative assistant and one driver cum support staff.