The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has roped in medical students to form an all-women team to screen people for the symptoms of COVID-19 and counsel them. The drive, which has been organised by the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, the women's wing of the RSS, has screened over 11,000 patients in North Mumbai.
“A special batch of 29 women has been set up by the samiti. Of these, around 24 are medical students. They undertake check ups at Malad (east) and Malad (west), where the number of cases are rising. The areas are identified based on the directions from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),” said a member of the samiti, adding that these campaigns covered areas where the civic body’s surveillance on the ground was thin due to the lack of adequate staff.
Earlier, its teams for screenings consisted of both men and women. However, the need for an all-women team was felt as women are better counselors, she added.
The team had screened around 11,600 people using non-contact thermal guns and pulse oximeters and detected 85 suspected cases of COVID-19. The medical history of the people who were screened was also taken to identify high-risk cases and their names were forwarded to the BMC.
The Rashtra Sevika Samiti volunteer added that the screenings would take place from June 3, after which the team members would be quarantined as a precaution. The samiti plans to deploy similar teams in areas like Kalyan, Dombivali and Navi Mumbai.
RSS volunteers and those from affiliated bodies like the Durga Vahini, Niramay Seva Sanstha and Sevankur, have screened around 1 lakh people so far, including in areas like Dharavi and Govandi, said a RSS functionary.
