Maiden 'Covid Sahayata Kendra' of Assam inaugurated in Guwahati

The initiative will be led by Dhanmani Bora, the first female e-rickshaw driver of Assam

GUWAHATI: The maiden CSK (Covid Sahayata Kendra) of Assam was inaugurated at the State Capital Dispensary here on Saturday. This development follows the success of Covid Sahayata Kendras (CSKs) in various States of the country

The CSK is a multi-purpose 'Covid Help Centre' Its aim is to promote awareness amid the pandemic as well as to assist the government in eradicating the threat of Covid-19 from the State and making Assam Covid-resilient.

The pioneer behind the establishment is CINI (Child In Need Institute) — a national-level NGO (Non Government Organisation) working for the last 47 years in the Health sector. Its objective is to provide the optimum level care and support to the country's mothers and children, ensure their all-round development and thus enhance their quality of life.

The CSK was inaugurated by the Mission Director of NHMA (National Health Mission, Assam), Dr Lakshmanan as the chief guest. The other guests, who were present during the ceremony included Dr Binita Goswami, joint director (District Health Society); Dr. Ajay Lashkar, in-charge of Capital State Dispensary; Meghendra Banerjee, COP, CINI; Sujoy Roy, Sr. manager, CINI along with unit in-charge of CINI Assam Unit and other health officers of Kamrup, stated a press release.

CINI has reached out to people in different remote areas of the country since the advent of the pandemic and has been active ever since in order to help people fight against this pandemic and emerge healthy and victorious.

CINI established its first in Assam with the objective of helping the people of the state to fight the pandemic and become Covid-resilient. Recent data have unravelled the fact that though the cases of Covid-19 have decreased universally, it is not the same in the case of some parts of Assam.

Of the new cases, Kamrup Metropolitan reported the highest at 115 Covid19 positive cases, 14 in Golaghat, 33 Jorhat and 32 Moregaon showing a steady rate of cases.

Covid Sahayata Kendra: The Assam government has devised a plan to make the whole of Assam Covid-resilient by September, with the aim to provide vaccinations to every citizen of Assam, and CINI has come forth to complement the government in the fulfilment of the objective with its limited resources, said a press statement.

Trained expert counsellors of CINI shall be holding sessions at the CSK from time to time in order to diagnose the post-covid mental health conditions of people who are suffering from anxiety, depression, psychological issues, and other mental health concerns. People can reach out to the counsellors via the toll-free number 1800-121-5323 from 10 am to 6 pm and the counsellors shall also attend patients at their homes for one-to-one counselling if the cases are deemed to be that serious, the statement said.

CINI also plans to initiate Covid awareness camps and sessions at various parts of the state from slums to lanes and from streets to localities in order to raise Covid awareness among people and make them realise the importance of the measures taken by the government.

CINI shall also be addressing the issue of lack of mask usage among pedestrians and absence of covid appropriate behaviour.

A mobile CSK van prepared by CINI shall be running on the streets of Kamrup providing masks and sanitizers to the people along with announcements of Covid awareness. The initiative shall be led by Dhanmani Bora, the first female e-rickshaw driver of Assam.

CINI also plans to open two more CSKs at Pandu and Golaghat later this month with the facility of mobile CSK vans as well.

NHM Assam Mission Director Dr. Lakshmanan said, "Within the next 25 to 30 days, the Kamrup district will be the first 100% vaccinated district."

Sujoy Roy said, "We are overwhelmed by the Covid preparedness and prompt response of Kamrup health district officials."

"The cooperation and assistance on the part of the officials of the State Capital Dispensary and the District Health department is really praiseworthy," he added.

Also Read: Assam registers 586 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday

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