Jharkhand govt launches Swasthya Sawari mobile health van service
Aims to reach more than 50,000 people in Gumla as part of its pilot phase
Gumla district along with the Jharkhand Government announced the launch of Mobile Health and Wellness Centres. Also known as Swasthya Sawari, this specialised mobile van-based model, which was designed in coordination with the government, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Jivika Healthcare, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), aims to reach more than 50,000 people in Gumla as part of its pilot phase.
With financial support from The Rockefeller Foundation and Give (formerly Give India), Jivika Healthcare, a private doctor-based mobile health service provider, will provide end-to-end operationalisation support. Jhpiego, a global health non-profit and Johns Hopkins University affiliate as part of NISHTHA project, will provide on-ground support in collaboration with Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers.
On the launch, Sushant Gaurav, District Collector, Gumla, tweeted, “We are happy to announce the launch of Swasthya Sawari (Mobile Medical Unit) by Jivika Healthcare in Basia division of Gumla district. This programme will provide healthcare services across 20+ conditions in the hard-to-reach underserved villages of Kamdara & Palkot blocks.”
The specialised mobile van-based model will bring qualified medical staff, equipment, and medicines closer to the doorstep of the underserved population in the Gumla District thereby advancing the key objectives of the program, i.e., providing universal access to free primary health care, strengthening accountability at the last mile, and shifting the health ecosystem focus from curative to preventive healthcare for all.
The Swasthya Sawari programme will focus on providing quality primary healthcare services including screening, diagnosis, counselling, consultations, treatment, and referrals. The mobile vans will transport doctors, nurses, medical equipment, and medicine to conduct day-long camps across clusters of remote, hard-to-reach villages with low population density. This means that more communities will gain access to cancer, dental, and ENT screenings, comprehensive ante-natal care for pregnant women, family planning, prevention and treatment for diseases such as dengue, malaria, tuberculosis, and more.
The programme will be enabled by data-driven planning, extensive community mobilisation, and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission-compliant digital systems to track patient health to ensure continuity of care and integration with government systems. As the programme evolves, the units will function as an interface between the primary health facilities and citizens in remote locations with patient reporting and follow-ups being handled by the mapped facilities.
