Taking a step further on providing health services to those patients who could not visit hospitals or community health centres (CHC) due to ill health or transportation problems, a group of health professionals were seen visiting bed ridden patients at Dhansiripar, here Monday.
Although catering to the need of a staggering 17,000 population covering 24 villages sounds a humongous task, the dedication level of the community health nurses and doctor looking after the Dhansiripar block under Dimapur district seemed undaunted and ready to tackle it one patient at a time.
Baring the dry, humid and hot Dimapur weather, a group of nurses from Christian Institute of Health Science and Research (CIHSR) led by Dr Rohit Wagh, a post graduate student from the hospital, were seen halting at various locations at Dhansiripar to visit immobile patients.
In a brief discussion with this reporter, the health professionals said they go on weekly house to house visiting of patients who were unable to admit themselves to hospitals or the nearest community health centre (PHC) which falls under the community health department at CIHSR.
CHC nurse Azole, who was also a part of the visiting team said the programme patient visiting programme was an initiative of the CIHSR and that with the help of the local CHC nurse incharge they were providing assistance to the bed-ridden patients and imparting basic education on healthy lifestyles to the villagers who were mostly cultivators and daily wage earners.
A profession where dedication is as important as skill, these health professional, at this rate would be able to change the course of a patient’s life for whom all hope might have been lost.
Although illnesses do not choose its hosts, sometimes geographical and economic condition of a person could greatly determine their wellbeing and taking medical help to their very doorsteps can reset the clock of their life span.
The tedious work of the health workers attending patients was a commendable job which when replicated could make a huge difference in a state where people are spending, more money than they earn, on health problems.