UMERKOTE: A female health worker of Pujariguda community health centre (CHC), who decided to return to duty despite losing two of her family members, was forced to remain in quarantine by villagers of Jamrunda under Umerkote police limits on Saturday as she returned from Khurda, a Covid hotspot.
The ANM had gone to her house in Khurda town a fortnight back to observe the last rites of her mother-in-law. Two days later, her husband also died due to cardiac arrest. After observing the rituals, she returned to the village to join duty at the CHC on Thursday. She had also taken permission from the Khurda SP to travel to Nabarangpur.
When villagers came to know about her travel history on Saturday, they created a ruckus and did not allow her to enter the CHC. The medical officer of the CHC and IIC of Umerkote police station intervened and tried to pacify the villagers but in vain. With no other way out, she had to shift to an institutional quarantine centre at Umerkote. Villagers said the ANM can join duty only after 14 days.