Volunteerism spirit comes handy in fighting Covid
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 02 2021:
As the Covid-19 pandemic ravages across the state, the spirit of volunteerism is taking the fight against the pandemic to a whole new level in the state as measures taken up by the government alone are not enough to make the fight successful.
One such example of the true spirit of volunteerism that has been helping in the fight against the pandemic is the CHIC opened at Manipur College under the aegis of Manipur Legislative Assembly speaker Y Khemchand, where around 30 volunteers are catering to the needs of the Covid positive inmates of Singjamei assembly constituency in a well-coordinated manner.
These volunteers work in different sections such as medical, transport, RP, publicity, testing, vaccination, mess, store, computer among others.
They stay in separate rooms demarcated for each section in the college and they do not return home.
Those in the mess section take the responsibility of providing meals and breakfast at fixed timing.
Those in the transport section provide logistic support to patients for coming to the centre and returning home after discharge.
Volunteers in publicity section handle publicity works to disseminate information on mass testing and vaccination programmes while those in testing and vaccination section assist in testing and vaccination programmes.
Those in medical section take the responsibility of ensuring availability of medicine and oxygen supply as and when required while those in the RP section monitor movement of inmates and supply of items brought by family members.
Volunteers in computer section work in data management for inmates while those in store sections ensure adequate stock of all essentials required for running the centre smoothly.
The volunteers are supervised by the centre's chairman Kh Saratchandra and speaker Y Khemchand visits the centre every day to ensure its smooth functioning.
Khwairakpam Nirmal, one of the volunteers, told The People's Chronicle that none of the volunteers have been tested positive for Covid-19 so far and every volunteer is tested prior to their duty assignment in the centre.
They do not return home to avoid contact with others.
Those requiring to return home for any reason are sent back home only after testing, he said.
At times, the volunteers also face hardships in the manage ment of the centre.
For instance, waterlogging of the kitchen due to heavy downpour, non-availability of food items due to curfew and power outage are some of the problems they are facing but they have been managing the situation somehow.
Despite such issues, they are Volunteering with the objective Of contributing whatever they could in the fight against the pandemic, he said.
Volunteers of the ceritre as well as other CHICs in different assembly constituencies are hoping that the government acknowledge their services and recognise them as frontline workers.