To put them to work, the government is preparing a dashboard which will allow district administrations to verify and find doctors and volunteers easily, as authorities are considering various options to strengthen the beleaguered public health system to fight Covid-19. “The idea is to make it easy for the volunteers to sign up and for the district administrations to connect with them as and when they require them on the field,” said a senior health ministry official, who did not wish to be identified.
The volunteers will be given assignments on the basis of their qualification and experience. The government is also working on training modules as it plans to engage medical students of final year, dentists and final year nursing students in the fight against Covid-19. “We are preparing training modules to sensitise a massive number of workers. There are modules for those who need to go for door-to-door surveillance that include social elements and handwashing practices,” said the official. “We have prepared modules on PPE (personal protective equipment), how to wear them, dispose them off and bio management specific to this disease as it is highly infectious and contagious. Then there are modules for those who will be used in ventilator management, like respiratory therapists.”
The youth affairs and sports ministry is also working to find non-clinical volunteers. The dashboard, which is in the works right now, will enable the states to capture and feed the data of healthcare personnel available in their state on the portal. “The states have also been asked to feed the data of healthcare personnel on the portal, which is called Covid warriors,” said the official.
“The database available on the portal will offer access to the states about the required doctors and volunteers available in and around the states, so that they can be put on duty as and when there is a requirement,” said the official.
