Health

Women health workers in India on dangerous terrain in anti-COVID-19 battle

Bangalore, May 14 (EFE/EPA).-Parvathi Bai, 48, goes knocking from door to door in Indian villages, with just a hand sanitizer, a few face masks, and pen and paper in her bag, as a part of government measures against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Not so well equipped, Bai, one among the network of 1.3 million women health workers, known as Anganwadi, speak to families in rural neighborhoods to check for Covid-19 symptoms and advise them about precautions they should be taking to prevent the disease. The community-based network of women healthcare workers under the central health ministry operates in rural areas in a country with inadequate medical infrastructure, especially in non-urban spaces. The authorities have now tasked them with physical contact tracing and rolling out government measures in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. (Imagen: JAGADEESH NV). FOOTAGE SHOT ON MAY 12, 2020. SHOTLIST: INDIAN ANGANWADI WORKERS AND MEDICAL STAFF GATHER INFORMATION FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS AS THEY RECORD THEIR TRAVEL HISTORY, HEALTH AND FITNESS, AFTER THE CITY EASED THE LOCKDOWN, IN BANGALORE, INDIA. SOUNDBITES : M JAYAMMA, GENERAL SECRETARY OF ANGANWADI WORKERS FEDERATION IN THE SOUTHERN STATE OF KARNATAKA (IN KANNADA).TRANSLATIONS: Today, the coronavirus-COVID 19 is troubling people across the country and across the world - the killer Corona, that is what we call it. For the the prevention, our PM Narendra Modi advised us to stay indoors, to wear a mask in order to keep all the people of our country safe. We, who are working on this regard, should be provided with masks, gloves, PPE kits and other safety materials. It is our request. Along with that, they should test us (for the virus) too. Whatever Modi is doing with respect to COVID 19, like food kits and PPE kits, we request him to provide us things which are better in quality.