Now, ‘foot soldiers’ to give feedback to Punjab health dept on its projects

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Volunteers in the age group of 16 and 30 years will report on maternal death, infant and child mortality, deaths due to drug overdose, home deliveries, immunisation, cases of polio, tuberculosis

CHANDIGARH : In a unique initiative to get independent feedback about various health programmes from the grassroots level, the Punjab government has decided to recruit volunteers between the age of 16 and 30 years as ‘foot soldiers’.

The volunteers will need to register themselves on a website and post the feedback on the website (www.footsoldierpunjab.in). The department has decided to keep the identity of the foot soldiers ‘confidential’ in order to ensure that they report without hesitation.

As a trial, the department has decided to take feedback on maternal death, infant and child mortality, deaths due to drug overdose, home deliveries, incomplete immunisation, unattended health ailments, cases of polio, tuberculosis, measles, etc. that warrants attention of the health department.

The volunteers will be registered on the basis of their Aadhaar card details. This will entirely be a volunteer job without any monetary compensation, but the department plans to reward them for their contribution.

Health and family welfare principal secretary Anurag Aggarwal, who is said to be the brain behind the initiative, said action will be ensured on the feedback given by the ‘foot soldier’. “The very idea of this initiative is to take independent information from volunteers. Till now, we used to depend only upon the findings of our own employees for feedback. Through this programme, we have exposed our claims and schemes to the volunteers for their genuine feedback,” Aggarwal told HT.

He said the department will also share monthly report about feedback with the volunteers with the action taken report.

In case a foot soldier gives wrong feedback, his or her registration will be cancelled and they will be barred from taking part in any programme run by the health department.

Punjab is going to be the first state to introduce such an initiative.

The programme was launched on September 15 and within 72 hours, around 120 youths had registered themselves as ‘foot soldier’.

State health agency, the registered body of the health department to run the Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojna, has been given the task to monitor the programme.

“It’s a completely community participation programme. Let’s see how is the response to our initiative to improve our functioning,” said the principal secretary, health.

Punjab already has roped in ex-servicemen as ‘Guardians of governance ’to help the state to oversee implementation of government schemes, increase transparency in governance, identify shortcomings/loopholes for corrective action by the department concerned, promote accountability at each level and put in place an effective monitoring mechanism at all levels.

Idea is to gather information from independent volunteers. Till now, we used to depend on our employees for feedback. ANURAG AGGARWAL, health and family welfare principal secretary