Mobile Veterinary Clinic service launched for all 4 districts

GANGTOK, 19 July: Mobile Veterinary Clinic for different districts to provide veterinary services at the doorsteps of the rural masses was launched by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling here today. On the occasion, five Mobile Veterinary Clinics were flagged off by the CM, one for each district and the fifth dedicated for awareness programmes. 
On the occasion, the CM was accompanied by Minister, Dawcho Lepcha, Secretary, DP Sharma and senior officials and staff of the department of Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services.
It is informed that during the Chief Minister’s 42 days village-to-village tour, the CM was apprised of the practical difficulties faced by the department and villagers and accorded sanctions on the spot for procuring five numbers of Mobile Veterinary Clinic at Sudunglakha, East Sikkim on 22 July 2011.
The aim of this mobile clinic is to provide rural animal health care for specific areas with a team of veterinary professionals and para-professionals, supporting equipment and veterinary medicines in order to provide preventive, curative services as well as breeding facilities. It is mentioned that this could provide prompt animal health care and service at the people’s door step, disease surveillance, monitoring of livestock and poultry disease and create awareness about modern technology for improving productivity with a view to uplift the socio economic status of the people living in rural areas and inaccessible pockets.
It has been mentioned that in a predominantly rural economy based state of Sikkim, animal husbandry plays an extremely important role in bringing about substantial improvement in the living standards of rural people. It is further stated that eighty percent of the domestic products come mostly from agriculture and animal husbandry sectors and about 70% to 80% of the people reside in rural areas and most of them practice livestock rearing for substantial income generation.
A press release of the department states that at present due to various pro-poor people programmes of the present government, livestock sector has been regarded as one of the potential livelihood options for the people of Sikkim for providing self employment among unemployed educated youth and the department plays the role of facilitator to provide technical knowhow, skill development and veterinary services in terms of providing curative treatment of livestock in the villages.
However, considering the terrain of the state, animals are usually not brought to the hospitals/ veterinary centers for treatment and vaccinations and given this situation a good number of farmers remain deprived of veterinary services at the desired level. The Mobile Veterinary Clinics seek to fill this gap and take veterinary care to the people and their livestock.