'Matra Shakti': RSS To Raise Women Volunteer Force In Villages To Help Combat Third Wave Of Covid-19

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has decided to raise a workforce, comprising mainly women, and train it to deal with Covid in the event of the third wave.

"The workforce, known as 'Maatra Shakti' will be trained in Covid management at the village level. Village level doctors are best equipped to provide mental and physical health to families hit by Covid," said an RSS functionary.

The training programme of this workforce, sources said, will be completed by the end of July.

RSS volunteers are being briefed about the action plan through virtual meetings.

"In case of an emergency or a health crisis, villagers can approach these volunteers who will be equipped to deal with them. They are also being taught lessons in Ayurveda," said the functionary.

Since the Covid treatment protocol in the primary phase does not call for invasive treatment of large numbers of medicines, villagers could be trained to handle the emergency cases with basic training in giving oxygen support.

People in villages can rely on such practitioners during emergency.

Almost all the major RSS frontal organisations like Sewa Bharti, Arogya Bharti and Vanasthali Ashram, have been asked to focus on training and creation of new workforce.

The RSS functionary said that medical experts from these organizations have been asked to train the village doctors, ayurvedacharyas and vaidyas at the grassroots level on Covid patient management, while other members have been asked to contact villagers and create a women workforce group.

Each village will have a group of maximum 11 members and a minimum of seven members.

They would be briefed about the preliminary measures to be taken in case of detection of Covid patients in a village.

They would also be taught how to provide physical and mental support to the family members of such patients.

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