Suresh Kumar, a 20-year-old native of Nibuhi Kal village in Bahraich district, worked at a juice shop in Mumbai city. He returned home along with other migrant workers in a truck in early May, 2020 after travelling for five days.
As soon as Suresh reached home, local ASHA worker Chandra Prabha met him and recorded his details. She informed the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of Bahraich, which advised Suresh to quarantine himself at home. Chandra Prabha also counselled the family members and explained in detail the steps to be taken during home quarantine. She made regular follow-up visits and kept in touch with the family.
Her alertness, motivational skills and support ensured that as soon as Suresh began experiencing symptoms, he was sent to the community health centre at Chitaura, which is also a designated Covid Care facility.
Chandra Prabha also ensured that Suresh’s family members and his fellow migrants were referred for coronavirus testing.
With the surge in the COVID-19 cases in the country and the influx of migrant population from hotspot areas, one of the major challenges in Uttar Pradesh was to cater to the healthcare needs of returnees and arrest the spread of coronavirus in the rural population.
“ASHAs have played a critical role in supporting the state’s COVID-19 management during this crisis,” Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.
He said that in a gigantic exercise, UP’s 1.6 lakh ASHA workers tracked over nearly 30.43 lakh migrant returnees in two phases — 11.24 lakh in the first and 19.19 lakh in the second phase. “They have assisted in contact tracing and community level surveillance. The ASHAs not only identified 7,965 persons with symptoms but also regularly followed up on their health status. They have facilitated sample collection of 2,232 returnees of which 203 were found to be positive and were referred to Covid health care services,” he aid.
Nigrani Samitis (Vigilance Committees) have been formed in all the villages under the gram pradhan. The samiti members’ community patrols keep in touch with the ASHAs and provide them details of the migrants in the village. The ASHAs in turn help with the follow-up on the migrants.
“ASHAs have played a critical role in sensitising the communities about the preventive measures to be adopted such as regular hand washing with soap and water, importance of wearing masks when out in public spaces, and maintaining adequate physical distancing. As a result of their efforts, there has been enhanced awareness about essential and non-essential healthcare services and how to access these,” Prasad said.
The ASHAs are provided basic protective gear like masks and soap and sanitisers as they go about their duties.
ASHAs have assisted the Panchayati Raj department in development of the community quarantine centres, in building Anganwadi centres and primary schools. They have ensured adoption of Aarogya Setu app at the community level through awareness generation and supported in its installation.
“The contribution of ASHAs in non-Covid essential services has been exemplary,” Prasad said. “At the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, ASHAs are contributing in conducting listing of all individuals, risk assessment and mobilisation for screening for chronic illness like hypertension, diabetes, cancers (oral, breast and cervical cancers), TB and leprosy,” he added..
Prasad said that they had also been instrumental in providing reproductive maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH) services which were directly affected by the lockdown and the necessity of maintaining of physical distancing.
“They have created awareness about the availability of these services and helped people to access them,” Prasad said.
The National Health Mission supports nearly 10 lakh ASHAs in rural and urban areas of most parts of the country. Nearly 1/6th (1.67 lakh) are from Uttar Pradesh.