How Covid impact shook village of bravehearts
Villagers say they have never seen such an outbreak of disease before, situation improving now
The Covid-19 impact or manifestation of its symptoms was felt acutely in UP’s most populous village Gahmar in Ghazipur district in the Purvanchal (eastern UP) with villagers saying they had never seen such an outbreak before.
Known as a village of armymen as every second family there has a member in the armed forces, it is about 10 kilometres from the UP-Bihar border. The village has a population of over 50,000.
Wearing masks, Durga Chaurasia and his friends can be sitting in front of his house at the village, solemnly discussing the grim situation that prevailed over 10 day ago while acknowleding that things were better now.
“Owing to outbreak of fever, cough and cold, over two dozen people passed away in Gahmar,” claimed Chaurasia, former village head of Gahmar, around 40 km to the east of the Ghazipur district headquarters.
Others who suffered from fever, cough and cold recovered, he adds. He says that at present there are around 10 people with such symptoms.
“In my life, I never saw such an outbreak of fever, cough and cold. It started around a month ago and gradually spread to the whole village. In Gahmar, one or two people suffered from fever, cold or cough in every third family in the last 30 days. Their only help was the local doctors. With treatment, most of them recovered during the last one month,” says Chaurasia.
“Dozens of people were suffering in the village till 10 days ago,” says Chaurasia.
“But where would they have gone for treatment as the OPD was suspended in the PHC (primary health centre) in the village. Vaccination was going on there. The nearest community health centre is Bhadaura, about 10 kilometres from Gahmar. Bhadaura CHC has a team of four doctors, pharmacist, lab technician and a ward boy. It has been made a Covid hospital, says a senior official of the health department.
The village has around a dozen small medical stores run by locals. Medicines prescribed by the local doctors are purchased from these shops.
Ritesh Chaurasia, another local, says, “Our village in known as a village of armymen. Every second family has a person (member) in the army. We call it a village of bravehearts. But this global pandemic has shaken us.”
Pramod Kumar Singh, a social worker and resident of Gahmar, isolated himself after suffering from fever over a fortnight ago. He consulted a local doctor (quack) on the phone and took medicines, including paracetamol, from him.
“Local doctors (quacks) are the only help for the ailing locals because the OPD at the primary health centre in the village is suspended. Only vaccination is taking place there. The people, who suffered from fever, cough and cold consulted the local doctors for treatment. Even I consulted a local doctor when I had fever around a fortnight ago. He gave me some medicines and I recovered. I am fine now. However, I still don’t go out of the house.”
Before taking ill, Singh distributed around 10,000 masks among the locals and appealed to them to wear these and get tests done in case of ailment.
There is no permanent facility for Covid testing in the village. The health department’s mobile team, including a lab technician and health worker, is the only help for people who want to get a Covid test done, Singh says and adds that there is a need to carry out a massive awareness drive in the village on measures to keep the corona infection away.
Village head Balwant Singh Bala says that efforts were made to do Covid testing in the village and the situation has improved now.
Dr Ravi Ranjan, the medical officer in-charge of the community health centre at Bhadaura, says, “We have five mobile teams to do Covid-19 test in villages in Bhadaura CHC area. A mobile team visits Gahmar on three days, that is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week. On the remaining days, the team visits the other villages in the area covered by the Bhadaura CHC. In a day, around 300 Covid tests are conducted. RT-PCR test is being done at CHC daily.”
“Over 3000 Covid tests have been conducted in Gahmar village. There is no dearth of medicines. Patients coming to the CHC are attended well and medicines are given as per need of the patients,” says Dr Ranjan.
Dr Ranjan, however, accepts that OPD is suspended at the primary health centre, Gahmar since the doctor appointed there has been deployed at CHC, Bhadaura which has been made a Covid hospital.
The Covid hospital has 30 beds and oxygen facility is also available. “We are trying our best to give proper care to the patients with the resources available,” he adds.
Covid vaccination is also being done at the CHC. On an average, around 200 to 300 people are vaccinated daily.
Dr Ranjan says that over 300 people were in home isolation in Gahmar village at one stage. A rapid response team (RRT), a team of health workers, including a pharmacist, lab technician and Asha (accredited social health activist) worker, visited the village and monitored their condition and provided them care. While 295 recovered, five people were still in home isolation.
Acting chief medical officer (Ghazipur) Dr Umesh Kumar says, “Sixty-four mobile teams have been deployed for conducting Covid tests in the villages. The teams are doing their work.”