NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The government on Friday admitted in the state legislative assembly that two of the breast cancer checking mobile clinics as commissioned by the department of health services in 2009 have been discontinued, and further transferred to the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) for their operation.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, in a written reply to a question from the
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat said that the mobile clinics were procured by the government at a cost of Rs 1.92 crore with the aim of conducting awareness cum screening campaigns with physical examination and mammography facilities, free of cost, for women in the interior parts of Goa.
“The vans were procured to conduct screening camp in the interior parts of Goa as also to provide mammography screening facility and a simple biopsy facility using ultrasound and mammography,” the written reply stated.
In another written reply, the Health Minister informed that in the year 2011, the government had purchased a mobile dental van for dental health checking, at the cost of Rs 76.05 lakh. “It was procured to provide dental treatment services to the rural population residing in remote villages of the state of Goa,” he maintained, adding that the van has two dental units.
“The mobile dental van is in good working condition with timely servicing being done and is being plied to various villages for dental treatment camps, either on request from various organisations in Goa or are self-organised by the department of public health dentistry, once or sometimes twice a week,” the written reply stated, informing that treatment/ services carried out in the van include oral health diagnosis and treatment planning, oral prophylaxis, restorations, emergency root canal opening, extractions, tobacco cessation counselling and dental health education programmes.