BOCWW Board to acquire 20 more ‘Dhanvantari Arogya Raths’

Gujarat Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board signs MoU with Gujarat Health & Family Welfare department and GVK EMRI.

Gandhinagar, September 1, 2020: The Gujarat Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has received approval from the state government to buy 20 more ‘Dhanvantari Arogya Raths’ – the Mobile Medical Units to add to its existing fleet of 34 Raths.

An MoU was signed in this regard between the GBOCWWB, the state Health department and GVK EMRI on Tuesday in the presence of Minister of Labour & Employment Dept., Disaster Management & Pilgrimage Development, Dilipkumar Thakore, Labour and Employment department ACS & Board Chairman, Vipul Mittra, Additional Director, Girish Thakar, Health & Family Welfare dept., B. M. Prajapati, Member Secretary (BOCWWB) and Jashvant Prajapati, COO, GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute).

The Board functions under the administrative control of the Labour and Employment department and runs a number of schemes aimed at welfare of construction workers.

The Dhanvantari Arogya Raths were rolled out in December 2015, to provide medical services to construction workers at construction sites and ‘kadiya nakas’ (worker markets).

“The 34 Dhanvantari Arogya Raths have catered to more than 21.35 lakh construction workers so far, and have proven to be an important instrument to provide doorstep medical services to them.

This is the reason we are acquiring 20 more Raths,” said Dilipkumar Thakore, Labour and Employment minister, Govt. of Gujarat.

The Central govt. and the World Health Organization (WHO) has also lauded the state govt. for the work done by these Raths during this pandemic.

“Other states are also looking to emulate this model after the Labour & Employment dept.’s successful implementation of this scheme”, the minister added. 

On the occasion, Vipul Mittra IAS, Additional Chief Secretary (Labour & Employment) informed that, “The Labour and Employment department has sanctioned Rs. 7.79 crore for acquiring and operating 20 additional Dhanvantari Arogya Raths under the Gujarat Atmanirbhar package in the current financial year.

The induction of the 20 Dhanvantari Arogya Raths will allow us to provide the doorstep medical services at more places and to more construction workers.”

Until March, the 34 Raths were operational in 22 districts. However, in view of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to closure of construction sites and worker markets, the Raths were temporarily handed over to the respective district collectors and pressed into service.

“Some additional services like spreading awareness about Covid-19 through audiovisual means were added in view of the pandemic to these Raths.

These Dhanvantari Arogya Raths provide various types of medicines including Ayurvedic, Allopathic & even Homeopathic. These Raths are equipped with a doctor, two nurses and two other staff members.” Mittra added.

Later, 17 of the 34 Raths were handed over to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and deployed for Covid-19 related work.