Amrita Health Center in South Andaman opens satellite clinic in Bambooflat

The Amrita Health Center at South Andaman’s Shadipur has also been upgraded with a new CT scanner, ambulance, and physiotherapy and lab equipment The Amrita Health Center in South Andaman has opened a satellite clinic in Bambooflat, a small settlement of 8,000 people 8.5 km away across a strait that is accessible only with a ferry ride. The new facility, the only one of its kind in the isolated region, will make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to patients who currently need to travel a long way to seek modern treatment. The Amrita Health Center at South Andaman’s Shadipur has also been upgraded with a new CT scanner, ambulance, and physiotherapy and lab equipment. The facility is connected via a telemedicine satellite link with the super-speciality Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala. It provides daily outpatient consultations to about 25 people, alongside home care services for bed-ridden people. The centre also runs an ECG and X-Ray machine. Volunteers with the Amriteswari Society, Singapore, led the project for the new equipment and further outreach. Their efforts began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the health centre's CT scanner broke down. As fundraising expanded, they were also able to provide a new ambulance and laboratory equipment, as well as establish a physiotherapy clinic. “Healthcare access is very limited in this region, especially affordability,” said Dr Divya Mol, Amrita Health Centre’s CMO. “However, we strive to give medical treatment at the lowest possible rates, and I believe the new additions will benefit a lot of people who are in great need.” The health centre was started by Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) after her first visit to Andaman in 2008 after witnessing suffering among the people in the area. Her immediate priority was to establish dependable medical services for them. “Although we started the health centre here in 2009, still so many people need more help, and the devotees from Singapore were eager to do the needful because of their dedication to Amma,” said Swami Purnamritananda Puri, General Secretary, Mata Amritanandamayi Math. He visited Andaman to lead the inauguration ceremonies of the new facilities. The satellite clinic in Bambooflat is a profound endeavour as it will extend the Amrita Health Center’s reach by providing consultations, telemedicine, and digital lab services to remote areas. Even the time and cost of the ferry ride are something many patients find difficult to afford. It is also where the MA Math built 150 houses for people who lost their homes after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.