With the intention to cater to regions hit by natural or man-made calamities, the government has made announcement about the launching of five mobile hospitals in India that can be established at any calamity hit region within a short span of six hours.

Five mobile hospitals would be established with a total cost of Rs 30 crore each.

Dr. Shakti Gupta, the member of the steering committee of the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) under the Home Ministry, took this decision.

“The work is in progress and would be completed soon,” he said.

These self-sufficient mobile hospitals would have a capacity of 200 beds, 10-12 units each comprising of Intensive Care Units (ICU), blood banks, operation theatres and even kitchens.
 
The hospitals would start functioning soon after reaching a location that have either been hit by an earthquake or seen a terror attack.

At the launch of the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s campaign “Save Lives, Make Hospitals Safe in Emergencies” on the occasion of World Health Day 2009, Dr. Shakti said, “The need for mobile hospital was first felt during the Gujarat earthquake of 2001. The need for this service was also felt as over 3,000 health facilities had been destroyed, which made it difficult to provide medical aid to the injured.”

Initially, the Home Ministry passed an order for two such mobile hospitals, but then increased the number to five, he said.

He also said that these five units would be set up in five different Indian zones including east, west, south, north and centre.

“The plan was approved soon after the Gujarat earthquake. When Gujarat saw a series of terror attack, including in a hospital (in July 2008), it was realised that these mobile hospitals could be of great help in providing health facilities even during a terror strike and not just during earthquakes or floods,” he added.

Physicians at these hospitals are geared to carry out emergency services that comprise surgical operations, and the hospital will also have medications and required equipments to perform any medical examinations.

Gupta, who is also the medical superintendent of the Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said that during 2001 Gujarat earthquake when hospital facilities were demolished, a private company had provided pre-fabricated hospitals, which could be set up in six hours time and start providing medical aid.

"But the mobile hospitals are better equipped then these pre-fabricated hospitals," he said.

He also said that Indian hospitals also lack proper networking.

"If some emergency occurs, each hospital in an area could be connected to the other so that if there is a need they could provide quick help. Sadly, there is no communication between them," he said.

He also said that new buildings such as medical colleges are now earthquake-resistant, but lots of old ones, which include AIIMS, are yet to be equipped to handle a natural calamity like earthquake.