Hyderabad: Female doctors and nurses are screening suspects and treating patients at hospitals, while auxiliary nurse midwives, Anganwadi, and ASHA workers are going from house to house to check the health of people.
The role of women in today's world has changed significantly and for the better. They’re wives, mothers, caregivers, and breadwinners, often juggling all these roles at the same time.
Studies show that women make 80% of the healthcare decisions in their families, often while putting their own health on the backburner. Women are holding several key positions and leading from the front. Many unknown women, including nurses and members of women self-help groups, are also contributing to the effort.
Let's know some of these sheroes:
Dr. Sonu Gandhi, D. Scientist, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad played a major role in designing an electro-chemical sensing device called E-Cove-Sense, to quickly investigate coronavirus infection. It is claimed that this machine gives accurate results in 10 to 30 seconds after placing a sample of saliva. The lead scientist in the team of researchers from the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology claims that this machine gives an accurate indication of the presence of coronavirus spike protein antigen when the saliva sample is collected. The machine approval process is in progress.
An Indian woman who has recently been in the news is Kolkata’s Chandra Datta. Datta is a significant part of the Oxford University team developing a vaccine to counter COVID-19. Chandra Datta, 34, who lives in Oxford, is working as a quality assurance manager at the university facility producing the anti-viral vector vaccine- ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 which started human trials last week.
Dr Priya Abraham, director of National Institute of Virology, Pune, has made a significant medical breakthrough by isolating the deadly coronavirus. This helps in understanding the disease better and finding treatment regimens.
Dr Nivedita Gupta, senior scientist at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is busy designing the treatment and testing protocols for the country while Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, Department of Biotechnology, is spending her time trying to find a vaccine.
RMRC director Sanghamitra Pati has been ensuring accurate testing of COVID-19 patients, AIIMS director Gitanjali looks after the treatment of coronavirus patients. Jayashree Mohanty is in charge of the COVID-19 tests in the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Maria Antonieta Alva, a 35-year-old finance minister of Peru, is generous and her tireless work during the pandemic deserves all the praise she has been receiving. This Harvard-trained politician is sending out a fiscal package to small businesses and needy families in the nation during the COVID-19 crisis.
Shakti director Sujata Karthikeyan has been playing a key role by engaging about 70 lakh members of self-help groups in creating awareness on the disease, manufacturing masks, and cooking food for distressed people in rural and urban pockets.
Digantika Bose has designed a virus-killing mask. Amid the aggressive COVID- 19 outbreak, Bose had taken part in the Challenge Covid- 19 Competition (C3) – organised by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), a Ministry of Science & Technology initiative – and has recently received recognition for developing ‘Air providing and virus destroying mask.’ Her design has been shortlisted in a national competition.
Managing Director of the Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd., Yamini Sarangi, an IAS officer, is responsible for procurement of drugs, sanitisers, equipment and protective gear for healthcare personnel in the State.
When it comes to the problems of migrant workers, both from the state and outside, Labour department secretary Anu Garg has been coordinating with other states and district collectors of Odisha to ensure safe keeping of Guest workers from other states
Gajapati Police SP (IPS) Sarah Sharma’s efforts in implementing lockdown measures aggressively in the district and creating awareness to contain Covid-19 through singing has been praised across Odisha. Gajapati district has zero Covid-19 cases.
Chinta Devi is an ASHA or a community health worker in Panjaur village, Raghunathpur block, which recorded the most number of COVID-19 cases in Bihar, Every morning, Chinta Devi leaves her home at 6 am to go house to house in the village
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