They breathe life into the rural healthcare network ….Madhavi Rajadhyaksha I TNN
Mumbai: Ferrying a woman in labour through a Naxalite stretch in the thick of the night on a rickety vehicle may not sound like the stuff EMS (Emergency Medical Services) is made of, but for 36-year-old Pushpa Dankar from Gadchirolli, it is nothing out of the ordinary. At a time when budding doctors are reluctant to work in poorly-equipped villages, it is dedicated workers like Dankar who make the healthcare network in rural Maharashtra tick.
An ANM (auxiliary nurse and midwife), Dankar was one among the few health workers who were presented the Anandibai Joshi award on Sunday, in presence of state health minister Vimal Mundada, as an acknowledgment for their work. For most like her, work is a matter of great pride. I know all the families in my three villages by name. Its important to build such ties, says Dankar who now works in a sub-centre in Gadchirolli.
Mobilising the community is an important part of what husband-wife duo Nitin and Sunita Bhutade from Ratnagiri are also known for. Their regular interactions with the panchayat heads and womens self-help groups has seen the hospital attendance rise by 15% since last year.
Our villagers now play an important role in getting the changes they need. Recently, they put together Rs 60,000 for high-tech equipment so we can offer TB tests at the PHC and they neednt travel long distances or go to private labs, said Dr Nitin.
It is satisfaction that keeps others like paediatrician Dr Santosh Kadam from Thane Civil Hospital (TCH) going. It is in the hinterland that the there is opportunity for real service, he says, proudly explaining the recent initiatives at their hospital. TCH has recently started a dialysis service, the first such in a district hospital in the entire state. We have upgraded our trauma centre with a CT scan machine and even an MRI has been sanctioned, he said.
Poor infrastructure often dampens the spirit, but these workers soldier on. As another awardee pointed out that the living conditions in the government quarters of the PHC or sub-centre are so poor that doctors often quit within months of service. Union minister for rural development Suryakanta Patil, who chaired the session, also voiced a word of concern. We keep talking about the shortage of doctors in rural areas, but we need to probe the reasons. Be it salaries or infrastructure, the shortfalls should be conveyed to the Centre, so that we can initiate a change, she suggested.