By IANS,
Alappuzha (Kerala) : Starting Wednesday, people living around the famous Punnamada Lake in central Kerala can get their blood sugar levels checked at a specially-designed floating laboratory on the lake itself.
An initiative of state-run HLL Lifecare Ltd, the ‘STAR Boat’ (Sugar Testing And Review Boat) will offer free blood sugar tests.
The boat will be anchored at the Punnamada Lake, venue of the famed Nehru Trophy snake boat race near here.
Speaking on the initiative, HLL chairman-cum-managing director M. Ayyappan said: “The mobile ‘STAR Boat’ equipped with kits and technicians will ferry around different backwater locations, reaching out to even those isolated by water bodies. The technicians will provide patient guidance and distribute leaflets.”
The initiative comes close on the heels of a similar campaign to fight diabetes with ‘STAR on Wheels’ van in Thiruvananthapuram.