With a view to provide veterinary services to the farmers and cattle owners in villages and remote areas, the Tamil Nadu Government will launch 250 mobile veterinary units across the State.

Each of these vehicles will cater to the needs of one lakh livestock while every block will be allocated one MVU.

Sharing details about the MUV, M. Lakshmi, Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services told the media: “The procurement of ambulances have been completed. Recruitment of veterinarians and other supporting staff for ambulances is being undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation. The tendering process is underway, and within two months, we will launch the services across the State.”

The State Government will be operating these ambulances under a public-private partnership model and they will have facilities for diagnosis, treatment, minor surgery, and other basic requirements.

Apart from this, the MVUs will be equipped with sample collection equipment such as vials, vacutainers, syringes, a small refrigerator, and various medicines for treatment, including life-saving drugs and antibiotics.

For every MVU there will be a veterinarian, a para-veterinarian and a driver-cum-attendant.

The vehicles for this service have been purchased at a cost of Rs.39 crore under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme, an initiative of the Union Government.

The MVUs will be stationed at locations that will enable them to serve maximum number of villages and they will also conduct special camps for safeguarding poultry and cattle

Animal mobile medical ambulance scheme was introduced in five districts in the State in 2015-16 and at present there are 32 ambulances in operation.