The fever came unannounced, confining Asha worker Seema to her home in Prem Nagar. While her mind dwelt on seven prescription cards for pregnant women classified as serious cases in her area, she knew the medicine would not reach them until she recuperates.
Seema’s job involves looking after the basic health needs of 1,600 people, including keeping a close watch on 35 pregnant women. With what little strength she had left, Seema attended to multiple phone calls from panicked residents with doubts about coronavirus symptoms.
At the forefront of the COVID-19 fight are Asha (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, now part of the “corona foot-warriors containment and surveillance teams” tasked with alerting authorities about suspected cases. Team members are supposed to inquire about the well-being of people and availability of essential medical supplies in their area of operation, apart from advising residents on use of masks and social distancing. However, they have to do these tasks over the phone.
Read more of this in a report by Anand Mohan J , Somya Lakhani published in The Indian Express... (Link given below)
