Villages in Punjab’s Majha devoid of basic Covid care
Rural areas in the region turning into infection hotspots with high positivity and fatality rates
AMRITSAR Even as the Punjab government is making claims of focusing on controlling the coronavirus surge in rural areas, most of the villages in the state’s Majha region comprising Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran districts lack basic Covid care facilities such as testing and vaccination.
Due to inadequate testing, surveillance and treatment facilities, the villages in the region are turning into hotspots of infection with high positivity and fatality rates. Also, people are still reluctant to come forward for testing while they are also not checking movement of outsiders in their villages.
Satnam Singh, a resident of Rajian village in Amritsar district’s Ajnala sub-division said, “Our village does not have any Covid care centre. If any person develops virus symptoms, they have to travel to Rokhey village to get them tested for the disease. Even the health centre at Rokhey lacks basic facilities like medicines and medical staff. People have no other option but to go to private hospitals that charge hefty money.”
“Doctors held a vaccination camp in our village but not many showed up. People in rural areas are still hesitant to disclose their symptoms to the health department staff, fearing the authorities will admit them to hospital where they will succumb to the virus. We urge the government to open testing facilities in every village of the state,” he added.
Amritsar is reporting hundreds of fresh infection daily but the district health department has collected only 2.76 lakh samples from the district’s rural areas in nearly 14 months of the pandemic.
Angrej Singh, a resident of Dall village in Tarn Taran district’s Bhikhiwind sub-division said, “Our village has the population of 7,000 but the local subhealth centre does not have Covid-19 testing facility. People have to travel 15-20 kilometres to get tested for the virus. Also, people are not cooperating with the health staff as they are not keeping tabs on movement of outsiders in the village.”
“Despite the virus surge, a group of farmers is set to leave for Delhi on May 27 to protest against the central government’s three farm laws. In these challenging times, villagers are focusing less on the pandemic,” Angrej Singh added.
The situation at Gurdaspur district’s Jhawar village is no different as there is no testing facility even as vaccination camps were held there.
Tarsem Lal, a local resident, said, “Our village has a government dispensary but it lacks Covid testing facilities and medicines. Some accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) come to the dispensary but people are reluctant to share their health status with them. Besides, residents are not following protocol while authorities are not keeping tabs on the violators. The government should increase surveillance.”
‘Thikri pehra’ begins in villages
As many as 661 villages in Amritsar and 122 in Tarn Taran district have started ‘thikri pehra’ (community policing) to curb the movement of people in and out of villages —except emergency and essential services.
Station house officers (SHO) and deputy superintendent of police (DSPs) concerned have also been asked to regularly check and ensure the thikri pehras. Satnam Singh, sarpanch of Chahowali village in Amritsar’s Majitha block, said, “With the help of the police, we started the practice for a few days. A police team regularly checks our thikri pehra. Our village with a population of 2,500 has no positive case so far. But we still have designated our village government school as an isolation centre.”
A doctor in Tarn Taran said, “Many people are still not willing to get tested for Covid-19. They still prefer quacks instead of approaching hospitals. The police should also issue instructions against all those quacks working in the villages to help in containing the virus.”
(Inputs by Anil Sharma)
Our village has the population of 7,000 but the local health centre does not have Covid testing facility. People have to travel 15-20km to get tested.
ANGREJ SINGH, resident of Dall village in Tarn Taran district