The ongoing “wave” of corona virus has proved to be more ruthless and with threatening characteristics and among many areas invaded by the virus include its spread in rural areas unlike last year when the pandemic made its first presence , an unprecedented and entirely new experience faced by the people. Tackling the menace , therefore, involves Government’s and other concerned agencies’ attention not in respect of the urban areas only but equally on rural areas as well which are otherwise already bereft of many advantages which people in cities and towns are having access to. The UT administration had mooted an idea sometime back about rural Health Clubs at the grass root levels which if having made functional could have effectively done more than what first aid in medical parlance does and even added to that, awareness and involvement of people in rural areas at Panchayati levels by such Health Clubs could have gone a long way in strengthening the COVID safety precautionary protocol and guidelines as also checking the spread of the infections. Due to unknown reasons, primarily due to absence of follow up and monitoring measures, the Health Clubs in rural areas did not take off. However, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directing the Health Department to ensure that public health facilities at the rural areas were augmented in the UT is quite timely. Doing it practically rather even fast , he has desired a minimum 5 bedded COVID Care Centre including at least one oxygen supported bed in every Panchayat to be in place . Imagining such facility at each Panchyat level , there was no doubt that it was going to make a lot of difference in fighting the disease right at the village level and not let cases generally get referred to cities due to absence of medical facilities in such rural areas. We wish that by giving the required fillip to measures towards strengthening the rural health infrastructure, even at this stage when there is a continuous surge in virus infections , we can effectively check the spread of the pandemic in rural areas which are otherwise very vulnerable. Since involvement of money is there in this task , each Panchayat would be getting Rs. 1 lakh which was going to be paid from the District Capex Budget to helping them in making these centres functional as early as possible . These centres should have isolation facilities, proper toilets,drinking water, medical kits, oxygen concentrator, beds etc . Since the present challenge of a very complex and virtually an invincible nature is tackled from all angles just in the spirits of fighting an ongoing war, these centres properly linked with the nearest health centres and Telemedicine facilities , when starting functioning at the earliest, would serve the purpose for which they are basically decided to be set up. So far as space is concerned to house such centres , cities and towns are having constraints but rural areas have advantages of space and even Panchayat Ghars could be converted into COVID care centres, for that purpose — schools, community halls etc too could be used. Panchayats are otherwise having better financial position from where in addition to the allotted Rs.1 lakh , expenditures can be made with due approvals but no impediment or problem should come in the way, looking to the overall worrying position created by the COVID pandemic which is still continuing with no signs of getting let up or showing any abatement. We feel that the idea of COVID care centres at each Panchayat level in Jammu and Kashmir involving Anganwadi workers, Panchayat officials, volunteers, etc would not only make such centres functional in a better way but in matters of testing, isolation of infected persons and other matters, the Panchayat officials shall be playing a much needed role only after the concerned Medical Officers provided basic trainings and logistics to them. That was extremely important needing no particular emphasis. Testing is an important area of COVID management and the process is required to be increased in rural areas
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