In a landmark initiative to strengthen healthcare services in Assam’s tea Garden areas, the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday to upgrade 354 tea garden hospitals into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. This transformative step aims to provide quality healthcare to tea garden workers and their families. The event was attended by Ashok Singhal, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Irrigation, Government of Assam, as the Chief Guest.
Other dignitaries included Ministers Pijush Hazarika, Prashanta Phukan, Rupesh Gowala and Krishnendu Paul, along with several MLAs representing various constituencies across the state. Speaking at the event, Minister Singhal highlighted the government’s commitment to addressing the critical health challenges faced by tea garden workers. He pointed out that issues like anemia, malnutrition, high maternal and neonatal mortality, hypertension, and diabetes are prevalent in the areas.
Additionally, diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, and diarrhoea remain significant concerns due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure and poor hygiene and sanitation in tea estates.Minister Singhal noted that the Government of Assam has already introduced several initiatives to improve health services in tea estates. These include Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) services, the Wage Compensation Scheme for pregnant women, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreements with tea estate hospitals, free medicines and patient transport services and the construction new hospitals under Assam Corporation Limited.