Mobile health services help villagers in tiger reserve fight COVID-19

A unique mobile health service (MHS) is helping the tribal villages of Pench to prevent COVID-19 infection. The initiative was started by Satpuda Foundation (SF) to serve in the Tiger Reserve buffer villages in January 2014.

The SF Mobile Health Service has conducted health camps in six buffer villages and treated 300 patients from Wagholi, Sillari, Khursapar, Sawara, Khapa and Ghoti. There are hundreds of examples.

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"Patients suffering from fever and cough were particularly worried about the possibility of having the virus infection. However, the MHS doctors made the patients aware of the symptoms of coronavirus and the routine fever and cough," Satpuda Foundation founder Kishor Rithe said.

The MHS also made the patients aware of the dos and don'ts to prevent the virus infection.

Dr Manohar Khode, who has more than 20 years experience of serving in the tribal villages of Melghat, treated the patients and interacted with them.

The MHS has treated around 70,000 patients in the last six years and also provided the patients with further support for surgeries, eye operations and dental extractions.

Section 144 was imposed in Nagpur city and academic institutions too decided to close down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The health sector is serving the public day and night.