Maharashtra to have 21,000 ‘Covidyoddhas’

COVID-19 National

Thousands of medical workers in Maharashtra volunteer to fight Coronavirus cases following the Chief Minister’s plea. 

17 April, 2020, Mumbai

By Bhavesh Purohit

Around 21,000 people from Maharashtra who belong to medical sector have signed up to join the state government in their battle against Coronavirus, the official handle of Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) tweeted.

On April 8, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray appealed to the workers of the medical sector to join hands with the state government to combat COVID-19. They were asked to mail their details on the email ID covidyoddha@gmail.com. The response was so staggering that it led to a mammoth traffic on their email.  

Anant Ware, a pharmacist from Navi Mumbai, is one of the applicants who responded to the Chief Minister’s plea. “As a professional pharmacist, I am willing to serve my state and country during the COVID-19 crisis. I also appeal to other professional pharmacists, doctors and nurses who work in the private sector, to come forward and play their part”, said Anant Ware.

The state government received applications from 943 doctors, 3,312 nurses, 1,141 pharmacists, 863 laboratory technicians, 766 ward boys, 614 paramedics, 569 other medical personnel, 76 army retirees and many others have expressed desire to serve as social workers and medical volunteers. 

Though there is no clarity on when these ‘Covidyoddhas’ are expected to resume operations, the Maharashtra DGIPR tweeted that they will soon go through all the applications and transfer the selected ones to different districts as per the requirement.

Dr V. A. Aralekar, a physician and a social worker from Pune, said, “I sent a mail to covidyoddha@gmail.com right away when I heard Chief Minister’s plea because I believe that in these tough times, we all should do our duty. I felt great when I received an acknowledgement from Chief Minister’s official email address”.

As of April 17, 1.20pm, the Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra peaked at 3,202 with more than 2,000 cases just recorded in Mumbai. Since many healthcare workers in Maharashtra, including hospital staff and doctors, have tested positive for Coronavirus, there is a dire need of medical workers in the state. 

As of April 7, 222 healthcare workers in Maharashtra have been quarantined, reported Live Mint.

The recruitment of these workers from medical sectors may strengthen Maharashtra’s capacity to combat COVID-19.

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