APM Terminals Mumbai has opened a medical centre for all tractor-trailer drivers serving the Nhava Sheva complex at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

According to APM, the centre will provide the trucking community with free access to basic hygiene and health and sanitation facilities, as part of an effort to improve safety and basic living and working conditions.

“We hope to lead by example,” said Pradip Agrawal, CEO of APM Terminals Mumbai. “We calculate more than 18,000 drivers can benefit annually from the health centre. If replicated elsewhere in India, the programme will have a significant impact on India’s supply chain by promoting an awareness of the profession, and addressing the issue of shortage of tractor-trailer drivers faced by the industry.”

Many of the drivers have limited access to medical treatment and suffer from oral hygiene and other health issues, some of which require urgent attention, according to APM.