Vedanta Coal Mines has deployed mobile health units, improving access to essential healthcare for over 50,000 people across Jharsuguda and Sundargarh
For many communities in Odisha’s remote villages, access to basic healthcare remains a challenge, often leading to delayed treatment and reliance on distant facilities. Bridging this gap, Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines has strengthened last-mile healthcare access through its Mobile Health Unit (MHU) programme, reaching more than 50,000 residents, including over 4,000 children, across 18 villages in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts.
Over the past three years, the initiative has conducted more than 3,000 free health camps and over 1,000 health awareness sessions, delivering consultations, screenings, blood sugar testing, diagnostic support, and essential medicines to local communities, along with education on key health issues such as anaemia prevention, maternal and child health, hygiene, deworming, tobacco cessation, malaria control, heatstroke prevention, and lifestyle-related diseases.
A strong emphasis has been placed on early diagnosis and continuity of care. The mobile health units regularly monitor chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, while also treating common ailments including anaemia, gastric disorders, respiratory infections, fungal infections, joint pain, and skin diseases. Preventive outreach and follow-up care have become central to improving long-term community health outcomes.
The initiative spans remote communities across Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts, covering 5 villages in Jharsuguda and 10 in Sundargarh. Regular outreach in these areas is helping ensure consistent access to primary healthcare services for local communities.
Sorojini Thakur, a resident of Kudaloi village, shared her experience, “Access to healthcare has always been a challenge in our village. Thanks to Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines’ Mobile Health Unit, we now have doctors visiting us regularly, making it easier for people to seek treatment and receive medicines on time. It has brought much-needed healthcare closer to our community.”
Talking about the initiative, Dr. Indraprakash Prajapati, Mobile Health Unit Doctor, said, “One of the biggest challenges in remote villages is that people often wait until an illness becomes severe before seeking medical attention because healthcare facilities are far away. With the support of Mobile Health Unit, we are able to identify health concerns early, provide timely treatment, and ensure regular follow-up for patients with chronic conditions. This initiative by Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines,is making healthcare more accessible to communities that need it the most.”
Amares Kumar, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines, our Mobile Health Unit programme focuses on improving access to primary healthcare in the communities around us. By bringing medical services directly to villages, we are enabling timely diagnosis, treatment, and preventive care. We are seeing more people coming forward for timely consultations and follow-up care, reflecting the growing need for such services in these regions.”
Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines in Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts has reached over 2 lakh people across 26 villages through its community development initiatives. The company continues to support development across Odisha through focused interventions in healthcare, education, livelihoods, infrastructure, and social development, working closely with local stakeholders to create long-term impact. These efforts reflect Vedanta Aluminium Coal Mines’ commitment to inclusive growth and improving lives at the grassroots level.
