Around 3,000 National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers from various colleges affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University are taking part in a three-day training programme on ways to effectively spread awareness of novel coronavirus.
The modules have been prepared by National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru and the training is given under the supervision of mental health experts from M.S. Chellamuthu Trust. The NSS volunteers will spread awareness of the disease through online and mobile platforms. They will educate people on how it spread and how to identify the symptoms, because once armed with the knowledge, people will remain calm.
Inaugurating the training programme on Wednesday, C. Kamaraj, who heads the Zonal Task Force, the university’s initiative was a first-of-its-kind and could serve as a model for other institutions.
MKU Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan said the NSS volunteers would take part in nine-hour sessions on the three days. When they spread awareness of COVID-19, if they hear about people with influenza-like symptoms or mental duress, they would alert Public Health authorities and M. S. Chellamuthu Trust respectively.
“The students will only go online or use phones for spreading awareness as physical distancing is more important,” he said.
M. S. Chellamuthu Trust founder C. Ramasubramanian said the students would act as liaisons among the government, NGOs and the public. If found successful, the training programme could be replicated in other universities across the State. After the epidemic, the NSS volunteers in Madurai will also be trained in basic counselling.
Government Rajaji Hospital Dean J. Sangumani said, “Everybody - doctors, nurses, paramedics, patients and people - are stressed. Many deadly viruses existed before, but getting over fear will help more than anything else,” he said.
Doctors Sanjeev Kumar and C. Jayakumar from NIMHANS conducted the first training session via video conferencing.
90 beds ready
The MKU V-C said that four guest houses with 90 beds are available at the university for isolation and quarantining. “The rooms, with attached bathrooms, have been cleaned, disinfected and are ready for use,” he said.