Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flagged off the ‘Arogya Setu’ mobile health units at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Friday. | Photo credit: PK Badiger
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday flagged off 81 ‘Arogya Sethu’ Mobile Health Units (MHUs) to provide primary health care services to people living in remote, inaccessible, forest and hilly areas of Karnataka.
Launching the units in front of the grand steps of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, the chief minister said the initiative aims to ensure that quality healthcare reaches citizens who have remained outside the formal healthcare system so far.
The mobile units set up under the theme ‘Remote Village Health Care’ will provide health services in hard-to-reach areas including 32 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) reserved constituencies. Of the total 81 units, 49 are implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) while 32 are funded through the State Government allocations of Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribe Sub-Plan (SCSP/TSP).
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that each mobile health unit will be staffed by an MBBS doctor, a nurse and a laboratory technician. Services offered will include outpatient consultations, basic diagnostic tests using rapid diagnostic kits, free medicines, referral services and community health monitoring. The units will also support the implementation of national and state health programs in remote regions, the minister said.
MHUs will be implemented at the district level with decentralized monitoring and oversight, allowing flexibility based on local needs and geographic conditions. Officials said the units will also be deployed during emergencies and disasters.
According to the operational plan, each unit will conduct medical camps in two to three villages per day according to fixed schedules, with prior intimation to the residents. The vehicles were procured through outsourcing, while human resources will be involved on a contractual basis.
Officials said the operating cost was pegged at ₹1.92 million per unit per month, with an annual expenditure of ₹1,686.24 million for all 81 units. Out of the total, 41 vehicles have been allocated to the North Karnataka region.
Raichur has been allotted the highest number of mobile health units (eight), followed by Uttara Kannada (six), Kalaburagi and Dakshina Kannada (five each). Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Mysuru, Udupi and Vijayanagara districts were allotted four units each.
Published – 19 Dec 2025 21:21 IST
