MADURAI: Be it a natural calamity or a pandemic, the first to arrive on the ground are the Group D staff. Being at the bottom of the government hierarchy, the work of these government servants holds the key for any contingency planning. However, their services remain underrated or even worse unrecognised.
Around 530 Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBC) workers, 155 urban health nurses and 100 anganwadi workers have been deployed in the seven COVID-19 containment zones identified in the city limits including Melamadai, Narimedu, Thapalthanthi Nagar, Anaiyur, Thideer Nagar and Mahaboopalayam to carry out the daily survey.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, a DBC worker A Malliga (name changed) who is involved in door to door surveys at the containment zone in Melamadai says that despite being in service for many years, they have neither been made permanent nor have got a pay hike. "I have been receiving a salary of Rs 8,000 for the past seven years. While the government had made announcements of special allowances for health care and conservancy workers, we have been neglected despite being frontline workers," she said.
Another DBC worker K Rani (name changed) who surveys Mahaboopalayam says they are proud of being a part of the fight against the novel coronavirus. Not minding working an hour more than the alloted duty time, they check at least 50 households each day. "We start as early as 7.30 am. We are picked up in a van from our residential areas and dropped at the containment zones allocated for us. The survey extends up to 1.30 pm," she said.
Collecting details on residents with co-morbid conditions like diabetes and asking for symptoms including fever, cough, cold, respiratory illness and sore throat, they also teach the public a few exercises for a healthy respiratory system and give tips to increase their immunity.
The data collected is handed over to the designated medical officer in the nearby Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC). "If any of the residents report to us with symptoms, we notify the UPHC doctor with immediate effect, following which the doctor goes to their residence and treats the patient. If they are identified with major symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) and high grade fever, the doctor immediately refers the patient to Government Rajaji Hospital," she added.
Speaking on the safety gear given to them, the workers said they were given masks made of single layer cotton fabric along with gloves for the survey. However, during the interaction with TNIE, the survey staff were not wearing gloves. When asked, a DBC worker G Valli (name changed) surveying containment areas in Narimedu said, "The gloves are made of hard material which is useful for conservancy workers. As we could not hold the pen to write down the details using the gloves, we do not wear them."
Referring to the challenges they face on the ground, the workers said while roaming door by door in the scorching sun can be exhausting, what makes it worse is that arrangements have not been made for basic needs like drinking water and toilets. "We get drinking water from some residences. At some houses, they also give tea or lemon juice along with snacks. After the survey, we wait in a shady place for the same van to drop us back home," added one of them.
Despite many steps taken to create awareness, it is the youngsters who are indifferent. "Even when we try to make them understand the importance of staying home, they gather at public places saying the coronavirus would not affect them," they said.
Once the workers return home, they live the life of any other citizen who toils to make ends meet during the lockdown.
