Around 151 villages under the Maoist dominated Malkangiri district will receive better access to healthcare facilities as the BSF is set to launch a boat ambulance service starting January 26. This will help over 20,000 people residing in the Swabhiman Anchal across the Balimela reservoir in Odisha.
“There has been tremendous development in Malkangiri and Koraput districts after Maoist activities were contained to a great extent. The BSF with the help of Odisha police has intensified its area dominance exercises and the BSF will launch boat ambulance service for the residents of Swabhiman Anchal from January 26”, said Satish Budakoti, IG BSF.
Additionally, the State government recently inaugurated a 50-bed portable health centre at Badapada in the Swabhiman Anchal. It has 50 beds with four Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and oxygen concentrators for the treatment of critical patients. The boat ambulance service will be an addition to the prevailing healthcare facilities in the area.
Currently, the people at the Swabhiman Anchal depend on the sub-divisional hospital at Chitrakonda and primary health centre at Janbai, but to reach there, they have to cover miles in the waterway, which is extremely risky at times of emergency.
The geographical advantage of being surrounded by the Balimela reservoir from three sides and bordering Andhra Pradesh allow Maoists to have an iron fist over the area, with waterway as the only mode of communication to reach the place. However, after the construction of the Gurupriya bridge in 2018, the area was connected to the mainland, leading to the development of the region.