Morbidity profile of the patients attending Mobile Medical Unit camps in Telangana – a record-based study

Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) are one of the major initiatives under the National Rural Health Mission. These MMUs help people in remote, underserved areas access healthcare at affordable prices on their doorstep. The present record-based study aimed to assess the morbidity profile of the patients attending Mobile Medical Unit camps in the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district between April 2022 and December 2022. The MMU is run by the Department of Community and Family Medicine, AIIMS, Bibinagar, in six selected villages of the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district. A register is maintained to record the details of patients visiting the MMU camp. Patient's name, age, gender, place, mobile number, height, weight, blood pressure (BP), glucometer Random Blood Sugar, diagnosis, and details of medication dispensed were entered in the register. Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity were diagnosed using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, the Eighth Joint National Committee guidelines, and WHO Asia Pacific guidelines, respectively. Mobile Medical Unit Camp data are entered into the Excel database at the end of every month. Since it is a record-based analysis, we used data for analysis between April 7, 2022, and December 31, 2022. A total of 1494 patients were treated in the MMU camps during this period. Among them, 89.4% were adults, and 10.6% were children (less than 18 years). Among 1,336 adult patients, the majority of participants suffered from osteoarthritis, followed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The mean scores of systolic and diastolic BP of the adult population were obtained at 131±21 and 77±13 mm Hg, respectively. The mean random blood glucose level of the adult population was 150±74 mg/dl. A total of 158 children were younger than 18 years old, out of whom 78 and 80 participants were males and females, respectively. Moreover, 23.1% and 25% of males and females suffered from upper respiratory tract infections, respectively. The study further suggests that the NCD epidemic is spreading to rural areas where necessary health infrastructure is insufficient. MMUs can bring a significant change to the public health system, which needs to re-orient its priorities.