Rajasthan's 'Model' Response
Over the last 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union and State governments have been trying to find a perfect mix of policy responses or "models" to curb the contagion.
Towards the end of March 2020, Bhilwara district in Rajasthan witnessed a growing concentration of infections, and was on its way to become an epicentre of the virus in the state.
How did Bhilwara come to be known as a “model” to aspire to? Read below to know the details.
The Context
A slew of measures swiftly enacted by the district administration – dubbed the ‘Bhilwara model’ by the media – helped in stemming the tide. By early-mid April no new case was reported after which COVID-19 infections saw a jump.
However, the 'Bhilwara model' is unique on lessons and best practices for other local administrations and governments because of two reasons.
Key Response Feature: Strict Lockdown
The Big 5
District Isolation
Doorstep delivery of essential commodities – food, medicines, fertilisers, farm inputs and other items – was implemented through dedicated control rooms to encourage people not to step out.
Mapping of Hotspots
A local hospital in Bhilwara was identified as the locus of disease spread in the district as many of the emerging cases were of its medical staff.
The local authorities responded by testing and quarantining hospital workers. Local officials tracked the hospital’s former patients across villages and carried out tests for them and their families.
Door-to-Door Screening
Bhilwara conducted three rounds of surveys and screening by June 2020, and 2.5-3 million individuals were screened. Coronavirus testing was also ramped up to identify and check transmission in the district.
Increased Capacity for Isolation
To preempt medical emergency requirements, the availability of space was enhanced by mandating hotels and higher education institutions to allocate rooms.
In this manner, the district administration secured access to over 6,000 rooms for quarantining.
Rural Monitoring Mechanism
At the forefront of the district’s pandemic response were teams whose task was to create community awareness, monitor quarantined families, ensure physical distancing, and provide daily reports to district authorities.
The district set up 3,000 such teams to conduct oversight and outreach. This
amounts to 1 team for an estimated 800 people (as per Census 2011).
What the Team Looked Like
More than 60 Corona Warriors, including Anganwadi workers, Assistants, ASHAs, Teachers and ANMs, reported to me.
We created a WhatsApp group, and they were expected to give regular updates.
Primary Health Centre In-Charge/Medical Officer to Accountability Initiative
'Corona Captains' Supported 'Corona Warriors'
‘Corona Warriors’ were:
Watch the video below to know what they were responsible for.
Video
The Corona Warriors teams typically comprised frontline functionaries from different departments working in the same local area. For instance, those of Health (ASHA or Auxilary Nurse Midwife), ICDS (Anganwadi Worker or Helper) and Education departments (teacher or Head Master).
In spite of this, they were able to coordinate well.
A major challenge was protecting ourselves. Because we were going out, if one of us got infected, others could have been infected too. With the help of Bhamashahs (donors of masks, etc.), we first arranged for our safety.
Village Development Officer (VDO) to Accountability Initiative
Key Response Feature: Coordination
What Worked
What Worked
What Worked
What Worked
What Worked
What Worked
We faced problems with some people. It was business as usual for them! I informed the teachers about this situation. When a teacher spoke with them, they listened.
Auxiliary Nurse Midwife to Accountability Initiative
Bhilwara is not virus-free, and containment zones and lockdowns are still being implemented. As on 28 July 2020, there were 578 positive cases in the district, and 6 deaths. The recovery rate stood at 50%.
By Udit Ranjan and Sushant Anand with inputs from Accountability Initiative's PAISA field team in Rajasthan.
Produced by Avantika Shrivastava.