‘Govt services were focused either on Covid or nothing’— IE thinc Migration

Moderated by Deputy Associate Editor Udit Misra, this edition of The Indian Express Thinc Migration series had panelists discuss healthcare provisions for migrants, the need for community-based health services and universal health coverage.

Ajoy Mehta, Chairman, Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority said that the crisis is a human problem that needs to be dealt with compassion.

Dr Vandana Prasad, Founder Secretary of the Public Health Resource Network (PHRN) said that when migrants went back home, in many places they were welcomed, and panchayats made efforts to take them back. In many places, it was the opposite.

Director of Health Services in Aajeevika Bureau, Dr Pavitra Mohan during the discussion pointed out that government services were focused either on Covid or nothing, and because of that childbirth significantly increased at home, leading to an increased risk of maternal deaths, etc.

Uma Mahadevan, Principal Secretary of Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka said that her team created a platform for a pandemic response, connecting requests for help with the offices of support and mapping of all the government facilities. "We can have call centres and migrant resource centres and can give welcome kits to all migrants with details of the nearest services," she said.

Prof K Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) spoke about a possible hurdle migrant workers could have faced otherwise: “What if chief ministers had said that they will spend state money only on their citizens.. the bona fide residents, what happens to the migrant?”

During the discussion, Dr Pavitra Mohan pointed that healthcare issues in high-migration communities were not related to Covid-19 as much as to the closure of health services.