ASHA workers establish better coordination with COVID patients in home isolation: Chief Minister Himachal Pradesh

Shimla. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while interacting with ASHA workers through virtual medium today, urged them to ensure better coordination with COVID-19 patients in home isolation so that their health standards can be properly monitored.

Jai Ram Thakur said that about 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients in the state are in home isolation and ASHA workers have an important role to play as a bridge in establishing coordination between the patients and the health department. He said that the delay in transferring COVID patients from home isolation to hospitals is one of the leading causes of death of patients. He said that ASHA workers should regularly monitor the parameters of patients and should be transferred to hospitals immediately if they need to be hospitalized.

The Chief Minister said that ASHA workers played an important role in making the active case finding campaign a success during the first phase of COVID-19 in the state. It was because of this campaign that the state government was able to identify people with co-morbidity and take preventive measures to protect them from the corona virus. He said that ASHA workers should come forward to educate the general public about what to do and what not to do during the epidemic.

Jai Ram Thakur said that adequate sanitizers, facemasks and essential medicines should also be provided to patients in home isolation. He said that ASHA workers should also advise patients on the use of medicines and maintain hygiene. He said that ASHA workers should also motivate patients to boost morale so that they can get health benefits soon. The Chief Minister said that he himself has spoken to more than 200 COVID-19 patients in Home Isolation and all appreciated the work done by ASHA workers.

The Chief Minister said that ASHA workers should come forward to motivate people to get vaccinations registered. He asked ASHA workers to coordinate with elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions to keep an eye on people coming from other parts of the country to their areas. He said that such people should be motivated to stay in home quarantine and if they have any symptoms, they should be tested.

Jai Ram Thakur assured the ASHA workers that all their legitimate demands would be considered sympathetically. Health Minister Dr. Rajiv Saizal welcomed the Chief Minister and appreciated the role played by ASHA workers during this epidemic. He said that ASHA workers are the most important link of the Health Department to maintain ground level contact with the common people. Health Secretary Amitabh Awasthi thanked the Chief Minister for giving his valuable time to interact with ASHA workers. Mission Director of National Health Mission, Dr. Master Jindal conducted the meeting. Asha activist Sonu from Bilaspur, Dinesh Kumari from Chamba, Nirmala Devi from Hamirpur, Taruna and Usha from Mandi, Sonam Dolma from Kinnaur, Durga Devi from Kullu, Shashilata from Kangra, Komal Thakur from Shimla, Anita Kumari from Solan and Sameem Akhtar from Sirmour Also shared his thoughts and experiences with the Chief Minister on the occasion.