PATNA: In a first of its kind noble initiative, the Bihar health department has started selection of the most brave health workers including ASHAs, Aanganwadi workers and other volunteers working diligently in the ongoing door-to-door screening of the coronavirus pandemic as "Stars".
To keep them more and more motivated, senior officials of the department and the concerned district headquaters continue speaking to them over phone and encourage for completing the door-to-door screening on time.
When asked about this initiative, state Principal Secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar told The New Indian Express that the health workers, who are diligently working to protect the people from the COVID-19 pandemic, would be classified with due to honour as the "Stars" of the door-to-door screening undergoing drive in five districts.
"We have started the selection to few of them everyday. Theirs names with photos are being made public through the media to encourage others and those selected too," Kumar said, adding that they would definitely be felicitated at the earliest.
Kumar and Health minister Mangal Pandey with other senior officials of the department are continuously speaking to them over phones appreciating their all out efforts being taken to stop the chain of infection caused by the virus.
"We encourage and convey the gratitude of government to them and they sound so confident that task would not be impossible before us," he said, making an appeal to the people of state to encourage and express the gratitude of society to them equally.
Since April 16 when the door-to-door screening was started, 15 Door-to-Door Stars have been selected from Nalanda, Siwan, Begusarai,Nawada and Gaya till now.
They are Varun Kumar (supervisor), Rekha Kumari (Aanganwadi worker) and Sunita Kumari (ASHA worker) from Nalanda, Dinesh Kumar Bhagat, Gayatri Kuwar and Indu Devi from Siwan, Ajay Kumar, Ranju Kumari and Manju Devi from Begusarai, Sanju Kumari, Kusum Sinha and Poonam Kumari from Nawada and Purushottam Kumar, Sunita Rani and Sunita Kumari from Gaya as "Stars" of door to door screening.
Kumar said that the door to door screening by the front line workers will continue till April 24. "We are proud and salute them for their courage and sense of duty. We also need to invest more and more in their skills and their future," he said.