Bhubaneswar: Providing healthcare at the doorstep remains the leitmotif of the Aditya Birla Group Company, Utkal Alumina’s CSR activities. Ask SrimaniMuduli, the 68 years old widow. She is among the underprivileged residents of Andirakanch village, was rendered almost immobile and weak due to Osteo Arthritis for last one year. This had taken a heavy toll on her health. Last Feb, things took a serious turn and her condition worsened. Dejected, she threw up her hands, and didn’t go for any medical advice.
But that was until Utkal Alumina’s Mobile Health Units (MHUs) arrived on the scene. On a regular visit to her village, one of the members of the medical team spotted Srimani in a very frail state sitting in a corner of herhome. The team of doctors from Utkal Alumina’s MHU immediately swung into action. The MHU doctor treated her over weeks, along with free medicines at regular intervals. She was also counselled by the Social Protection Officer to render emotional support as to not go into depression, resulted from poverty and ill-health. After regular treatment over a period of time, she improved considerably. There is a great relief in her joint pain/ Arthritis pain. Now she is able to walk and move freely without any problem. She has expressed her thankfulness to Help Age India &Utkal Alumina International Limited for providing this kind of care.
Under the company’s ‘Health Care at Doorsteps’ programme (Mobile Health Units), Utkal Alumina in collaboration with Help Age India is operating one Mobile Health Care Unit with a doctor, paramedical staff and a social protection officer. It goes around peripheral villages at a fixed time on a given day. Altogether 44 villages in the Kashipur block of Rayagada district are covered under this programme through 10 strategic locations. Over 13394 patients received treatment through these MHU in 2018-19.
N. Nagesh, President & Unit Head of Utkal Alumina, says, “Through our MHU, the Health Centre at Nuapada and Utkal Hospital with it’s OPD, at Osapada, we have been providing the best possible health care services to people. In days to come, we shall accelerate the pace of these initiatives. The company is about to start functioning it’s full-fledged multispecialty services at its Utkal Hospital Osapadawith indoor facility. Sophisticated medical equipments like ultra sound, digital x-ray, hormoneanalyzer, Urine analyzer, auto-biochemistryanalyzer, Nephlometer and Electrolyte analyzer etc. have been procured for it’s indoor services”.
The district administration, on its part, has taken a very positive view of these health initiatives. While appreciating the infrastructure and health care facilities of Utkal Alumina, the Rayagada Additional District Public Health Officer (Family Welfare) says that “It will help a lot of needy people in the surrounding areas”.
Furthermore, Utkal Alumina is operating a Health Centre at Nuapada since long, with facilities of free consultation, diagnosis and medicine. It has facilities like pathological laboratory, Biochemistry analyser, Hematology analyser, Nephlometer, Urine analyser, ECG, Oxy generator, Cardiac Monitor, Pulse oxymeter, auto analyser and audio-metric equipment, all catering to the medical requirements of people staying around the plant. The Health Centre remains open 24 X 7. In 2018-19, 96,764 patients registered at this Health Centre.
Not content with this, as a major contribution towards health care of the people around, the company has started operating Utkal Hospital since April 2019. Presently, the hospital is operating Out-patient Department and has treated 34218 patients in the FY 2018-19. The hospital at present is extending specialist services in Medicine, Gynecology and Pediatrics.
“Plans to extend our healthcare services are on the anvil. We do all this because we care for the community”, concludes Mr. Nagesh.
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