It was an unfortunate incident last year that set in motion the setting up of a Covid care centre in Jalagaon in Maharashtra.
Trigger for the centre
Recalling the incident in an Indian Express report, Prathibha Shinde of Loksangharsha Morcha, says: “An 82-year-old patient was found inside a locked toilet block of a Government-run Covid care centre 8 days after she had died. This incident had led to a major uproar. At that point, we decided to pitch in to help the society and the government to fight this pandemic.”
Having been established then, the centre run by the Morcha has treated more than 1,700 patients, majority of whom are from the weaker sections of the society. The centre is located in a Government hostel building.
Loksangharsha Morcha, is a grassroots-level advocacy group.
Besides the trigger for setting up the centre, there is also the basic and deep ideological link that the Morcha has with the life and work of well-known social reformers like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambekdar.
Elaborating on this aspects, Shinde cited the example of how Mahatma Phule and his wife Savitribai during the plague crisis in Pune, had helped people in large numbers without caring for their own safety. Savitribai got affected by the plague and died.
“We pride ourselves as the followers of Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar and our inspiration lies in their acts. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also have come out to help others. This was the main inspiration for us to start a centre,” adds Shinde.
Facilities at the centre
It was last September when the 120-bed unit started functioning. It has staff of two doctors, nine nurses, eight ward boys, four female attendants and 11 conservatory staff, and it is completely dependent on philanthropic donations for its day-to-day activities.
That has never been an obstacle for the centre, as Shinde says, “We have never been short of funds as people are always ready to pitch in.”
Besides admitting asymptomatic or mild Covid-19 patients, the centre has provision for housing those in need of oxygen. There are 10 beds with provision for the gas. The medicines are all provided free of cost to the patients. In the first wave of Coronavirus, the centre treated 823 patients while now it has been running since March and treated 930 patients.
The centre ensures that any case which turns serious is shifted to Jalagaon’s Government Medical College for treatment.
Going beyond treatment, the centre also has provision for yoga, aerobics and other forms of entertainment with the aim of keeping the patients mentally healthy.
On being discharged, the patients are provided medicines for 7 days, along with pamphlets on what norms they need to follow at home. Shinde adds: “They get a call from the centre on the seventh and fourteenth day after their discharge to enquire about their health.”
The patients who come to the centre are generally from rural Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar district. During the second wave, there some patients from the tribal communities too which had hardly any case in the first wave, shares Shinde.
