Turning youngsters into healthcare workers
After the second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc on Delhi’s healthcare infrastructure, many youngsters in the city are being trained by the Delhi Police in general duty assistance and emergency medical services under its YUVA initiative. The project aims to introduce more primary healthcare professionals and to prepare them for the possible third wave.
The youngsters are being employed across various hospitals and private firms. “After being trained, the youngsters are working in home-care services for Covid patients, as emergency medical technicians (EMT) and general duty assistants at hospitals, and at path labs as lab assistants,” says Rajeev Kumar, a trainer. “During the pandemic, we conducted online and offline classes, and many trained professionals have now found jobs in the city,” adds Kumar. One of the former trainees under this programme, 19-year-old Shivam Singh, is grateful for the opportunity. “In the three-month-long course, I was trained to be a nurse. I’m working as a home nurse and taking care of Covid patients in Gurugram,” he says. Yamini Sharma, a 19-year-old who was trained as an EMT, is now working at a private hospital. “Whenever there is a vaccination drive at a private company, I’m sent to assist the team as a data entry operator and manage verification of individui’m als. happy to be employed during this tough time,”she says. “Many youngsters lost their jobs due to the pandemic and this became a platform to re-skill themselves,” informs Devesh Srivastava, Special Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) who is presoverseeing ently the programme.