YSD makes survey, suggests measures
A survey conducted in 18 gram panchayats in Ganjam district has revealed that most of them were grossly unprepared to cope with the number of migrants expected to return.
The Youth for Social Development (YSD) has conducted the rapid assessment of quarantine centres with an aim of understanding the preparation of institutional quarantine facilities in Ganjam district as mandated by the State Government.
The assessment evaluated the capacity of the Gram Panchayats in the preparation of handling the incoming migrants after the lockdown period, and observed the existing infrastructure available for the setting up of the quarantine centre facilities.
The rapid survey-cum- assessment was conducted in three blocks of Purusottampur, Khallikote, and Kabisuryanagar to know the ground reality.
The assessment was made through observation of quarantine facilities and semi-structured interviews with the Sarpanches and other PRI members over telephonic interviews. The questions covered multiple themes which aimed to explore the demographic details of the 18 case study panchayats, physical facilities available at the established quarantine centres, availability of health infrastructure and healthcare officials at the centres, administrative capacity of the gram panchayats in the handling of the quarantine centres, and anticipated issues by the Sarpanches that are likely to crop up and their prospective solutions.
The total number of beds in the 120 existing quarantine centres across the 18 gram panchayats was 6,950 which would not be enough for the already registered 10,914 migrants as on April 28. The number is bound to increase as the Sarpanchs expect approximately 18,500 people to return, based on their assessment.
Majority of the quarantine centres neither have any special arrangements for pregnant women, children, and the elderly nor have access to functional toilets, water supply, bathing facilities, and electricity connections.
Though most of the GPs had the presence of healthcare officials such as doctors, Anganwadi and ANM workers in their quarantine centres, surprisingly only a few GPs till date had procured gloves and masks which too were limited for use.
Many Sarpanches during the survey expressed their fear of the existing quarantine facilities not being enough to cater to need of the large number of migrants/returnees who would visit after the completion of the lockdown, thus hoping for additional financial support from the State Government for smooth running of the centres.
Officials in GPs also hoped for additional security anticipating possible disturbances in the centers, including ambulance services and adequate healthcare officials. The officials themselves were also worried about the possibility in a spiraling increase of positive Covid-19 cases in the region.
Keeping the feedbacks from the GPs and survey results in view, the YSD has made an array of measures to the Government that include timely release of fund and effective monitoring of quarantine centers, provision of sufficient beds, basic infrastructure facilities such as toilets, bathrooms, drinking water, healthy meals for the quarantined people and medical facilities such as availability of healthcare officials, testing equipment, ambulance support, and availability of sufficient masks, gloves, PPE kits, etc to these centres, etc.