Voluntary Health Association of India & its 21 State VHAs along with 4000 member organizations across the country have incorporated active public education and training of all our members on all aspects of prevention and management of COVID-19 from the end of February.
Support Us in our fight against COVID-19
In the areas of immediate concerns on COVID-19, we continue to focus on the following broad areas:
- As a member of the Governing Body of NIHFW & member of National ASHA Mentoring Group, we are closely working to ensure these institutions at the Centre & State level play a significant role in management of COVID-19 throughout the country along with their other agenda. Similarly, as a member of the Advisory Group on Community Action, Government of India, we are pushing for more active participation of the communities & CBOs in COVID-19 related activities
- We are working to strengthen Health & Wellness Centers. PHCs, CHCs particularly in the Aspirational Districts. As a part of this process, a SWOT analysis has been done in selected districts where we will be working closely with the State Governments & State VHAs not only on COVID-19 but their overall health agenda.
- We are augmenting the Government’s effort in public education, care & support of the patients & their families as well as looking after elderly & vulnerable population. We have also created local helpline numbers in some areas and work as “Weather Station”, updating the district administration on various developments.
- We are working closely with District & Block Administrations in various settings of the country in order to ensure other essential health programmes like tuberculosis control, immunization etc. doesn’t get disrupted & there is a free flow of essential supplies, ensuring Government subsidy reaches the beneficiaries without the bottle neck as well as monitoring the affected families.
- Dissemination of simple user-friendly communication materials as well as videos using Information & Technology to reach the awareness messages to the communities widely throughout the country.
- As a member of the Governing Body of NIHFW & member of National ASHA Mentoring Group, we are closely working to ensure these institutions at the Centre & State level play a significant role in management of COVID-19 throughout the country along with their other agenda. Similarly, as a member of the Advisory Group on Community Action, Government of India, we are pushing for more active participation of the communities & CBOs in COVID-19 related activities
- We are working to strengthen Health & Wellness Centers. PHCs, CHCs particularly in the Aspirational Districts. As a part of this process, a SWOT analysis has been done in selected districts where we will be working closely with the State Governments & State VHAs not only on COVID-19 but their overall health agenda.
- We are augmenting the Government’s effort in public education, care & support of the patients & their families as well as looking after elderly & vulnerable population. We have also created local helpline numbers in some areas and work as “Weather Station”, updating the district administration on various developments.
- We are working closely with District & Block Administrations in various settings of the country in order to ensure other essential health programmes like tuberculosis control, immunization etc. doesn’t get disrupted & there is a free flow of essential supplies, ensuring Government subsidy reaches the beneficiaries without the bottle neck as well as monitoring the affected families.
- Dissemination of simple user-friendly communication materials as well as videos using Information & Technology to reach the awareness messages to the communities widely throughout the country.
Detail of our activities throughout the country are as follows:
a. Regular Capacity building of VHAI staff as well as the project staff in various states through online training sessions on prevention & management of COVID-19.
b. ProjectAxshya through its District level team and field staff are reaching the vulnerable areas and providing support to the community in COVID 19 situation. In five Districts (3 districts of Uttar Pradesh & 2 districts of Madhya Pradesh), Axshya team is providing support in following ways:
- Follow up of treatment and provision of medicines to TB patients during lock down.
- Facilitating DBT and Nutritional Support to TB patients.
- Distribution of Face Mask and hand sanitizers to the community with the help of local NGOs.
- Our District coordinators in District Neemuch and District Rewa coordinated with CMHO Office and have become part of COVID 19 surveillance team.
c. VHAI is working with UNICEF to increase immunization coverage in 17 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Odisha. In these areas, we are working onCapacity building of district and block level CSOs and CBOs (SHGs, PRIs & youth clubs) on Handwashing, social distancing and cough etiquettes along with Government frontline workers. We are extending support tothe health centers in order to ensure regular functioning of immunization services at the community level.
d. In District Ganjam, Odisha, we are working closely with the District & BlockAdministrations as well as with Gram Panchayats in order to ensure food supply for vulnerable population (through mapping of the families).
- VHAI in April 2020 discussed the action plan for Covid 19 responses in Khallikote Block, Ganjam, Odisha with local MLA, Covid-19 Block Nodal Officer, Medical Officer & other block level officials and Sarpanchs. VHAI endeavored to distribute dry ration to households without ration card or households with technical issues in their ration cards, women headed poor households, elderly couples staying alone and specially abled person. Apart from dry rations, masks, sanitary napkin to girls, PPE kit in Information Dissemination Centers were also distributed. Village wise list of beneficiaries was prepared in consultation with the concerned Ward Member and Gram Panchayat Sarapanch. Sensitization programme on preventive measures for Covid 19 was organized for beneficiaries before distributing the dry ration. Dry ration packets were distributed at the doorstep of elderly couples and specially abled people.
- More than 250 peer educators are already sensitised and trained on prevention and management of COVID-19. They are assisting government frontline workers in sensitisation of the local communities on COVID-19
- More than 70 adolescent girls & self-help group members are making face masks at the home & we are supplying the face masks to the essential staffGram Panchayats for the distribution among the needy. So far, 3000 hand-made masks have been already distributed.
- Working closely with the local administration to ensure regular supply of IFA tablets as well as sanitary napkins to the girls.
- Distributed sanitary napkins among 1000 girls those who are dependent on the Government’s supply through ASHAs & AWWs. The mapping of these girls was done by our field team in collaboration with local block officers & ASHA workers.
e. In District Lucknow, UP & District Kamrup, Assam, our team has adopted & printed IEC material developed by Govt of UP & Assam on COVID-19. The team has sensitized more than 3,00,000 population since last week of February through various modes: awareness camps, display of IEC materials, house-to-house visits, social media etc. The team has counselled 4900 patients suffering from co-morbidities (hypertension & Diabetes) & also shared Do’s & Don’ts for the patients related to COVID-19.
f. In Telangana, our team is working closely with the State Government to prohibit the use and spitting of smokeless tobacco in public places to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The team is assisting the State Government on providing all the essential IEC material on COVID-19 in the local language. The sensitization on prevention and management of COVID-19 particularly among the tobacco users & smokers is undertaken by the team in District Hyderabad. The media stories were done by the team for mass awareness on the health risks of Smoking & COVID-19 as well as on ICMR appeal to the general public and Health Ministry’s letter on the ban of use of pan masala, chewing tobacco in public places to prevent COVID-19.
g. We are working closely with our network of trained women leadersto ensure food and nutrition security for the local communities in these challenging times in six districts of Assam: Goalpara, Udalguri, Sonitpur, Dhubri, Darrang Morigaon. 60 women leaders are actively coordinating with the local panchayats so that no family is left out from receiving the government provided rations etc. during the lockdown period. Focus is specially to ensure inclusion of vulnerable groups such as women, children and the differently abled. Self-help groups & women groups have also started preparing face-masks at home & distributing it among the local communities.
Photo Gallery
Supporting the initiative – “Stitching Facemasks at Home” by our self-help groups, Adolescent girls, women leaders in Assam & Odisha and distribution of these masks through Gram Panchayats. Till now, we have distributed approx. 7000 handmade masks among the local communities.
