Sebaashray is a doorstep programme designed to provide professional healthcare services to all residents of Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee’s constituency
West Bengal government has launched a doorstep health programme for the residents of Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas – the constituency of Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee. Under the programme health camps will be conducted across the constituency and those in need of higher levels of care will be referred to 12 designated hospitals.
Abhishek is the nephew of Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and is widely perceived as the heir apparent who will eventually take over the reins of the party.
Under the programme health camps will be organised for ten days in each Assembly constituency of the Parliamentary constituency – 280 camps aiming to reach all 23 lakh residents. A total of 1,200 doctors (2 per regular camp, 3 per model camp) supported by 1,500 volunteers, 500 diagnosticians and an adequate number of nurses and healthcare workers will be part of the programme. All camps will have standby ambulances with facilities for six basic diagnostic tests – BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar, hemoglobin, malaria, dengue, and ECG. There will also be additional facilities for Digital X-ray, cardiac monitors, eye clinic, cancer screening (last 3 days), ultrasound (color Doppler), and bone mineral density tests (last day).
The referral hospitals include Bangur Institute of Neuroscience, Calcutta Medical College & Hospital, Chittaranjan National Medical College & Hospital, Diamond Harbour Medical College & Hospital, Garden Reach Super Speciality Hospital and Institute of Neuroscience, Kolkata.
In his announcement about the programme on Thursday, Abhishek Banerjee said that he would support such an initiative in any constituency where the local representative is keen to organise it. “I believe that this initiative will show the way to not just Bengal, but the whole nation. We will be giving free of cost treatment to over 23 lakh people. We have tried our level best to incorporate all possible facilities. One camp covers 6-7 booths so that one camp can address only 6,000-7,000 people,” he said.
