Initiatives of Meghalaya govt should be replicated in other parts of country: WHO

AMN

Efforts to contain the COVID 19 spread has so far been effective in Meghalaya as the state is among the least infected. Recognizing the efforts of all stake holders, the WHO recently said that the initiatives of the Meghalaya Government should be replicated in other parts of the country.

The successful efforts to contain the spread of COVID 19 owes it to the ASHAs and ASHA facilitators who are an integral part of the Active Case Search Team to identify Containment areas in the State. One such example of their effectiveness is when a case was identified in Mawtharia Pomlakarai village with 70 households about 12 km from the State capital Shillong.

The Community COVID Management Committee constituted after the case was detected, ASHA worker S Kurkalang Devi was among the key members who helped in identifying about 35 primary contacts in the village. Besides that, the ASHA worker was key in providing advisory on home quarantine, regular home visits, and counseling among the people.

The front line workers of Meghalaya have been instrumental in containing the spread of this disease. The State’s fight against COVID-19 has demonstrated the strong embedded of ASHAs within the communities. At all levels, about 6700 ASHAs were made part of COVID Village Health Awareness and Active Case Search teams in the Containment Areas.