Two-month health campaign for drivers to be launched soon

A two-month health camp, titled 'Swasth Saarthi Abhiyan', will soon be launched to help taxi, auto, and bus drivers in and around Delhi and the National Capital region (NCR). The Abhiyan will be launched on June 28, 2017, and will focus on major issues related to drivers, such as sleep apnea, addiction, and vision defects.

The campaign has been jointly launched by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), a national government agency engaged in promoting energy efficiency in various sectors, and the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL). The Delhi Police will support the campaign through its Road Safety Cell and Women Safety Cell, while all medical assistance will be provided by St Stephen's Hospital.

IGL's Vice-President (Marketing) PK Pandey and Chief General Manager (Corporate Communications) announced the launch of the Abhiyan on Monday. The campaign aims at providing basic preventive healthcare needs, vision and eye checkup, blood group testing, counselling, health education, first-aid tips, and free basic medicines to nearly 5 lakh public transport drivers in Delhi-NCR.

Talking about the plan, Pandey said: "Union Minister for Science and Technology, Environment, Forests, Climate Change and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Members of Parliament from Delhi, will launch the campaign. Wrestling legend Babita Phogat will also be present on the occasion to lend her voice to the campaign."

The inauguration ceremony will be held at the Siri Fort Auditorium on Wednesday, and a Fuel Conservation Workshop will also be held the same day. As many as 2,000 drivers are expected to attend the event.

Each participant at the event will be provided with free incentives, which can be claimed at the IGL stations. A web application will also be launched on the occasion, which shall enable all drivers who have undergone health checkup to access their health records online.

In addition, cultural performances have been lined up, with the popular "Gutthi" Sunil Grover being the highlight of the day. Musical performances by known singers, nukkad naataks, and a dance performance are set to regale the audience in the evening.

"Public transport drivers form one of the biggest stakeholder groups of IGL, with almost all of them using CNG and making daily trips to CNG stations. Welfare of this group finds a prominent place in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme of IGL. The drivers are sort of our business partners and we feel the need to serve them, " Pandey said.

The campaign will continue in the form of health camps at various CNG stations till August 31, 2017.