Sanjeevan Mobile
Health Clinic

Serving remote, vulnerable populations with primary health services through a mobile health clinic

Mumbai (Kalyan, Dombivali)

Our Work

SNEHA’s Sanjeevan Mobile Clinic aimed to improve health access
and primary care services for underserved populations.

Operational from 2015 to February 2019, the state-of-the-art van was equipped with pathology, X-ray and ECG services, serves low-resource communities within the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation by providing preventive, promotive, diagnostic, curative and referral services.

Treatment for illnesses

The van worked to prevent and treat communicable and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cold, diarrhoea, skin infections.

Case referrals

Patients with serious conditions were referred to specialists in public and private hospitals.

Care across the reproductive health spectrum

The van provided screenings, diagnoses, information and medicine for adolescent girls, women of reproductive age, pregnant women and infants.

Forming community health committees

Community health committees were formed and were trained in various aspects of health. In turn, they encourage the community to use public health services and support us in referrals.

Using technology to document and track cases

The van made use of state-of-the-art patient management software to track cases and store patient history and other data.

Strengthening community access to health information

In addition to providing health services, the Sanjeevan van acted as a platform to generate awareness of health issues and encourage communities to demand quality healthcare and treatment. Our awareness sessions covered pre-natal and post-natal care, nutrition, family planning, tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, through street plays and other art forms.

Reach and Impact

10,956

patients accessed outpatient department services (2016-17)

5,279

patients attended preventive
and promotive services (2016-17)

1,941

people accessed
diagnostic services
(2016-17)

892

referrals made to public health institutions
(2016-17)

Notes from the field:
A timely intervention

Communities in urban settlements often don’t have easy access to health services. A resource like the Sanjeevan mobile health unit can reach these underserved areas, providing simple yet crucial information and services.

Rekha*, a 56-year-old resident of Dombivali visited the Sanjeevan mobile health unit complaining of swollen lymph nodes near her lips. While recording her medical history, the doctor learned that she had a history of consuming tobacco. The doctor referred her to a nearby hospital that further referred her to a specialized private hospital for cancer diagnosis.

Rekha tested positive for cancer, and subsequently underwent chemotherapy treatment at a hospital in Dombivali. A SNEHA community organiser followed up with Rekha during her chemotherapy treatment and visited her routinely till she made a complete recovery.

“You sent me for the right treatment at the right time and saved my life,” says Rekha.

*Name changed