On the clarion call of our Prime Minister to strengthen health infrastructure in rural areas, the UT Government responded with setting up Covid Care Centres in all the panchayats across J&K. The objective was to enable Covid patients who are residing in villages where self-isolation is difficult and are only having mild symptoms and recuperate away from their homes.One 21-year-old Ajay Sharma, a corona virus survivor has shared his experience in the Covid Care Centre, Reasi. He asked people to be cautious, not be afraid of the disease. “I started feeling feverish in the last week of may1.I got myself tested in district hospital Reasi. Finally, I got a call from BMO that I have been tested positive. Initially I got worried as there are 6 members in my family and only two rooms so self isolation was not easy. The health officer advised me to use separate utensils, use separate rooms and separate washroom. Here administration came to my rescue and I was picked by an ambulance from home and got admitted in nearby Covid Care Centre in Reasi.Most patients, he said, are not very careful about disinfecting their surroundings, so I would like to appeal everyone who test positive to come forward and get best treatment in the covid care centres instead of home isolation as many households may not even have the option for isolation of Covid positive patients in their own residence.
He said, “My meals, the immunity boosting drinks and all other activities were taken care of by health workers there. The doctors used to check me frequently and provided me medical kit having multivitamins, vitamin C tablets and other important medicines including oxymeter and ORS etc. They also kept constant check on me all through the isolation period.“I have recovered now and thanks to the kind of treatment I got in the Covid care centre Reasi I have been able to keep my family safe,” said Ajay and added that to fight the disease it is important that one keeps his mind along with body in a healthy state. He appealed people in general to fight anxiety with positive thoughts and not shy away from seeking doctor’s advice if they face any symptom of the disease. He urged all to follow the social distancing norms, wash hands frequently, stay home and obey government guidelines to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Ajay hails from a rural pocket where the awareness for the disease is very poor, returning back to his home has transformed him into a catalyst for ushering behavioral change in the village. People now throng to him to learn more about the disease and how to prevent its spread through regular hand washing and sanitation. He is also urging the people of his village to get themselves vaccinated and not take the disease lightly. It is an adept example of how awareness about the disease is cascading across the rural areas through people like Ajay who have survived through the timely intervention of the Health Department.