Levelling Up Livestock Care! Kerala Gets 29 Mobile Veterinary Units To Provide Doorstep Services

In good news for livestock farmers in Kerala, the State Animal Husbandry department is set to roll out a fleet of 29 mobile veterinary units (MVU) to bring veterinary services to their doorsteps. The livestock sector in Kerala is livelihood intensive and is also a major contributor to the Gross Domestic State Product (GDSP) - almost as high as 40 per cent of the agricultural GSDP recorded in Kerala.

By launching a mobile service for veterinary care, many farmers in the state would be able to ensure timely and proper healthcare service to their cattle. The fleet was inaugurated on January 5 by the Union Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Parshottam Rupala, and Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan. It would function under the centralised toll-free number 1962 and provide services to farmers at a reasonable fee.

State-Of-Art Facilities Brought To Doorstep

Kerala levels up its livestock care with the one-call-away mobile units established for the benefit of the livestock farmers. The MVUs will be functioning under the centralised call centre set in the capital city of Thiruvananthpuram and the uniform helpline number 1962. Soon after calls from livestock rearers and animal owners are received, the veterinary doctors and executives from the call centres would prioritise cases on the basis of emergency nature and alert the nearest MVU to attend to the respective farmer.

According to a report by The Hindu, each MVU is staffed by a veterinary doctor, para-vet and a driver/attendant. The vehicle comes equipped with state of art diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding accessories, audio-visual aids and necessary medications. It would be reaching the public from January 6 and would be working from 1 pm to 8 pm. Gradually the project would expand to a 24-hour service.

The service charges under the MVU are as follows: ₹450 for doorstep medical services for cattle and poultry, an additional charge of ₹50 for artificial insemination, ₹950 for treatment and medical care of pets, cattle, and poultry in the same household. The medications are included under the same fee.

One-Stop Solution

During the inauguration, Rupala highlighted that the system would boost the confidence of dairy breeders to rear highly productive dairy animals. Most breeders are hesitant to take their livestock to a veterinary hospital and usually rely on fraudulent practitioners for doorstep delivery of services. With the state enabling an MVU, farmers can avail treatment for their livestock from qualified professionals. It would also make it possible to take healthcare for animals to remote and far-flung areas.

Rupala stated that the promising scheme would transform the dairy sector from a "subsistence-based farm livelihood" to a "commercially viable enterprise by giving gainful employment to the youth of Kerala." As for the staff employed within the MVUs, they would be appointed on a contract basis and the salary expenditure will be met on a 60:40 basis by the centre and the State.

Transforming Veterinary Care Systems

India's livestock sector is one of the largest in the world. As of 2019, India was documented to be home to about 535.78 million livestock population and the numbers continue to increase steadily every year. In Kerala, the livestock sector is quite prominent and one of the fastest-growing sectors within the rural economy. According to data shown in the state government's ENVIS Hub, the growth rate of the poultry population in Kerala is higher than the growth rate recorded at the national level (16.81 per cent). Over the years several measures were undertaken to improve the sector and provide benefits to livestock farmers.

Earlier in 2016, the state Animal Husbandry Department had introduced a tele-veterinary unit to attend to animals in distress. The mobile unit was equipped with portable x-ray units, an ultrasound scanner and a radiography unit. A report by the New Indian Express explains that the mobile unit helped provide an on-the-spot diagnosis for animals and treat them accordingly.

The need for such mobile units for livestock is now being addressed on a national level. Earlier this month, Tripura flagged off similar 13 MVUs in an effort to deliver livestock healthcare services at doorsteps. In 2022, the Karnataka ministry along with Rupala launched 70 mobile clinics for cattle. An article by the Deccan Herald reported that the scheme would soon expand to over 275 mobile clinics in the state. Following the cue, similar projects have been rolled out in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Nagaland, and Gujarat, among others. All the clinics can be accessed through the national toll-free 1962 emergency response.

Also Read: This Doctor Started 'Moving Classes' In Odisha To Educate Villagers On Low-Cost Cattle Treatments