Stressingthe need to avoid the kind of situation that was prevailing in the villages ofUttar Pradesh, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sundayannounced a unique Covid Fateh programme as part of a ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan’ to tackle the worrying spread of Covid in the rural areas.
Termingit a war that needed the involvement of all sections of the community, the ChiefMinister directed the Health and Rural Development Departments to spearhead thecampaign with large-scale mobilisation of the community in the villages.
Theentire staff should be utilised to spread awareness among the villagers on thedangers of Covid, he said, adding that the Health & Wellness Clinics shouldbecome the fulcrum, and Community Health Officers, panchayats, school teachers,Anganwadi and ASHA workers, village police officers, youth volunteers etc. mustbe mobilised on a large scale to steer the programme.
TheGuardians of Governance and the Police force should work closely to make thisprogramme a success, he said, adding that the idea is to not just spreadawareness and dispel any myths but also ensure that there is adequate sampling,vaccination, etc. carried out in the rural areas.
Termingthe casual attitude of the people towards symptoms like cold and cough, whichthey do not report timely, as the biggest issue, Captain Amarinder called forearly identification of the infected people to ensure their early treatment.
Symptomaticpersons should be given basic medicines like paracetamol and cough syrup, andVitamin C, at their doorsteps, he directed, and said they should be encouragedto get tested and supported in home isolation if they test positive. Hedirected the health department to provide additional Rapid Antigent Test (RAT)kits exclusively for the purpose of testing in rural areas.
Thedepartment should also consider opening Covid Care Centers (L1) where ever required, with the support ofNGOs, he said.