BHUBANESWAR: With an unrelenting heatwave scorching several parts of Odisha, the state government has decided to deploy a mobile health unit (MHU) for a cluster of panchayats to attend emergency calls of heat stroke to voters and polling officials during simultaneous elections in the state.
The MHUs with one AYUSH doctor and one paramedical staff will be stationed at strategic locations for a cluster of GPs. Besides, one paramedical staff will accompany the sector officers in their vehicles along with essential medicines.
Sources said one doctor/paramedical staff will be deployed at all training venues of polling personnel in refresher or second round of training to orient the polling personnel on symptoms of heat-related illnesses and appropriate response procedures.
Air ambulance facilities will also be arranged as and when required during the elections for emergency evacuation of polling and police personnel injured in any incident. The Health and Family Welfare department has been asked to make the arrangement at the earliest. As per the instructions of Election Commission of India (ECI), a village-level worker will be deployed at each polling station location (PSL) to attend to any emergency in view of possible heatwave situations.
All persons on election duty will be provided cashless treatment in nearby empanelled private hospitals inside the state in case of heat stroke. One NCC/NSS/scout and guide/ranger and rover or youth red cross/student police cadet (SPC) volunteer aged between 14 to 18 years will be deployed in PSLs to manage the voters queue and provide assistance to specially-abled voters and senior citizens. They will be paid remuneration.
Additional director of medical education and training Dr Umakanta Satpathy will be the nodal officer for the air ambulance facility. It has also been decided to move a proposal to ECI for grant of permission for engagement of ASHA workers at all PSLs.
A senior health official said several measures are being taken to mitigate the heatwave during the election days, especially during the poll days and counting day in view of IMD reports and advisory of the ECI.