ASHAs, anganwadi workers helped govt identify 1.15L cases in 2 months

BHUBANESWAR: The door-to-door survey by ASHAs and anganwadi workers helped the government detect a staggering 1.15 lakh Covid cases in less than two months. This, the health authorities, saidhelped them a great deal in preventing infections, particularly in villages.
The government had roped in more than 49,000 ASHAs and 70,000 anganwadis from May 24 onwards to trace the people with suspected Covid symptoms and facilitate early testing. “In the process, many people with symptoms were encouraged to undergo tests helping in early detection, isolation and treatment,” additional chief secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said.
He added that the anganwadi workers visited houses multiple times, kept an active surveillance and helped in continuously monitoring a possible spurt in cases. The grassroots workers contributed a lot to containing infections, particularly in the rural areas.
When in mid-May it was noticed that the villages were reporting more than 50% of the positive cases, the government had made a plan to ensure that all with suspected symptoms were tested and those found positive were isolated with the help of angwanwadi workers. Left to come forward voluntarily, many would not have had undergone the tests at all.
During the first month of the campaign from May 24 to June 23, the ASHAs and anganwadi workers had visited more than 94.5 lakh households (99.60% of the total) twice. They had also helped identity more than 75,000 persons with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, TB, kidney diseases and cancer, so that the treatment of the people with chronic ailments was not disturbed during the pandemic.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had on May 18 announced a three-month door-to-door survey by the ASHAs and anganwadi workers from May 24 to find out suspected cases
Supriya, an anganwandi worker in Sohela block of Bargarh district, said she has been visiting at least 20 houses daily since May 24. “Apart from asking people about fever, we are monitoring the oxygen level in blood at random,” she said.
The government has promised to pay an extra incentive of Rs 1,000 per month to ASHAs for the three-month drive and Rs 10,000 one-time aid to buy bicycle, cupboard, slippers, umbrella and torch since they monitor home-isolation cases.
The government has also paid Rs 10,000 per Gaon Kalyan Samitis (village level committees) for undertaking Covid related activities. This will cost the state Rs 46 crore as there are 46106 GKS.