The Uttarakhand government and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide integrated primary healthcare services in 108 remote border villages across the districts of Pithoragarh, Chamoli and Uttarkashi.
The agreement, formalised under the first phase of the Swasth Seema Abhiyan (Healthy Border Campaign), aims to improve access to medical care in regions that are geographically isolated and difficult to reach.
Under the MoU, the ITBP will deploy qualified doctors and paramedical staff to the identified villages, make medical inspection rooms and telemedicine facilities available, and conduct scheduled visits to deliver healthcare services. The force will also maintain beneficiaries’ medical health cards and records, and oversee the management of medical equipment, medicines and other consumables necessary for service delivery.
The Uttarakhand government will support the initiative by supplying demographic data for the 108 villages and providing essential medical equipment during the initial implementation stage. Based on actual usage, the state will ensure a continuous supply of medicines and necessary materials every six months. In addition, state authorities will coordinate emergency evacuation support, telecommunications assistance, and ownership and replacement of medical equipment as needed.
The healthy border initiative targets residents in frontier zones that are often far from public health centres, where transportation and terrain barriers have historically limited access to routine and preventive healthcare. Regular visits by ITBP medical teams are expected to reduce these gaps and bring essential health services closer to communities in these strategic border regions.
The campaign builds on broader efforts to strengthen infrastructure and services in Uttarakhand’s border areas, complementing other government programmes aimed at improving local livelihoods and stability in regions adjoining international boundaries with China and Nepal.
