Archana Sharma
Amid the alarming spurt in the number of Covid-19 cases across the country, a small town in Rajasthan has set up an example by launching a 'medicine at your doorsteps' initiative under which the police, the administration, the local councillors and many other entities are working together to ensure those needing medical help get it at their doorsteps.
The project was launched in Dungarpur in the southernmost part of Rajasthan on April 13 with the initiative of District Collector Suresh Ola, said Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) Rajesh Sharma.
The medicines are being provided to patients in different households suffering from serious ailments, seasonal disease, pregnancy related issues and so on," Sharma said.
Besides medicines, hand gloves, medicines, sanitisers etc. are also being provided to the people at their doorsteps.
"Our team is available round the clock to serve the needy. We are serving them even during the night hours," he said.
The project has been a hit in the Dungarpur municipality area, following which it was started in the Sagwara municipality too, Sharma said.
"With the number of Covid cases growing on a daily basis, we formed a team by roping in nursing students, private institutes, ANM workers, urban bodies and so on. We have also formed a WhatsApp group where the local councillors raise demands which the collectors and the SP, who are also the group admins, take forward. We try to resolve the problems on the same day without causing any delay," he said.
"Looking at our initiative, Health Secretary Siddharth Mahajan said in a video conference that other cities should also follow our model. Cities like Banswara and Udaipur have already started similar initiatives," Sharma added.
District Collector Suresh Ola said that the second wave of Covid-19 has posed many challenges across the nation, with seasonal diseases making the matters worse.
"Those with comorbidities are frightened to visit the hospitals. They also face threat from the high-risk patients. Hence we launched this model by joining hands with the municipal teams and the medical department," Ola said.
Under this initiative, a total of 22,724 members have been tested in 4,858 houses while 655 people have been given medicine kits, he added.
