5,500 health workers deployed for ‘Dastak’ campaign in Prayagraj
A ‘Dastak’ campaign for the prevention and control of communicable diseases has been launched by the health department. The mission kick-started in Prayagraj on Thursday and will run till April 30, said district medical and health officials.
Under this, door-to-door awareness campaigns will be carried out and information will be taken by surveying residents for symptoms of identified diseases. Many innovative steps have also been taken this time, they shared.
District malaria officer, Prayagraj Dr Anand Singh says that ‘Dastak Abhiyan’ has started from Thursday for which 5,500 health workers of the district have been deployed. These include 4,500 Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers as well as 600 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Anganwadi workers, he added.
“These health workers will go door to door in the district and collect information about people suffering from fever, TB, filariasis and leprosy in the family. After collecting the information, it will be recorded in the e-Kavach portal (comprehensive primary health care app released and implemented by National Health Mission) so that an intensive strategy can be made to deal with these diseases and a campaign can be run for their prevention and eradication,” shared Dr Singh.
These health workers will also collect information about malnourished children in the district so that a campaign can be run against malnutrition, he added.
The Dastak campaign will also facilitate the creation of Abha Id (Ayushman Bharat Health Account), which was started to make the health records of citizens digitally safe and easy. The Dastak campaign will see health workers going door to door and collecting information about the creation of Abha Id of the people and will also make them aware of the need to create Aabha Id.
With creation of these Ids, all the medical records of the person will be stored on a single digital platform allowing doctors to read the patient’s medical history immediately and provide better and faster treatment. Also, it will become easier to connect with health insurance schemes like Ayushman Bharat, officials said.
Along with the treatment and elimination of diseases identified in the ‘Dastak Abhiyan’, special campaigns will also be run to prevent heatwave related complications. DMO Dr Anand Singh said that health workers will also go to schools. Here they will tell the children and teachers the ways to protect themselves from heat and heatwave. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets will also be distributed in the schools, he said.
