ARE WE PREPARED TO RECEIVE OUR PEOPLE (?).

Bureau,Odishabarta

A RAPID ASSESSMENT OF THE PREPAREDNESS OF INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE FACILITIES IN GANJAM DISTRICT

BERHAMPUR:Approximately more than 5 lakhs people living outside Odisha are expected to come back to the state after the completion of the lockdown period on May 3, 2020. A large proportion of these migrants would be returning to Ganjam district from states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have been one of the major hotspots of positive cases of Coronavirus in the country. In anticipation of the large number of incoming migrants, the Government of Odisha has issued a set of guidelines to the Sarpanchs’ of all Gram Panchayats in the state to effectively deal with the situation.

The measures include registering of all returned people at the concerned Gram Panchayat; mandatory stay of all people who have returned in a Panchayat level Quarantine facility for 14 days along with necessary provisions of food, water, and sanitation; health checkup of quarantined persons including screening of COVID-19; and provision of an incentive of Rs. 2000 (Rupees Two Thousand) after successfully completing the quarantine period, among others.

Keeping these guidelines in mind, YSD a grass roots not for profit development organization based in Ganjam district has conducted a rapid assessment of quarantine centers with an aim of understanding the preparation of institutional quarantine facilities in Ganjam district as mandated by the Government of Odisha. The assessment evaluated the capacity of the GPs in the preparation of handling the incoming migrants after the lockdown period, and observed the existing infrastructure available for the setting up of the quarantine center facilities. The rapid assessment of panchayat level quarantine facilities was conducted across 18 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in three blocks of Ganjam District – Purusottampur, Khallikote, and Kabisuryanagar.

The assessment was through observation of quarantine facilities and semi structured interviews with the Sarpanch (PRI) members over telephonic interviews. The interview questionnaire had a mix of qualitative and quantitative questions aimed to cover various aspects to understand the nature of facilities necessary for effective registration and isolation of migrants in quarantine centers set by the Gram Panchayats. The questions covered multiple themes which aimed to explore the demographic details of the 18 case study panchayats, physical facilities available at the established quarantine centers, availability of health infrastructure and healthcare officials at the center, administrative capacity of the Gram Panchayats in the handling of the quarantine center, and anticipated issues by the Sarpanchs and their prospective solutions.