Another example of a help desk helping people! India plans to implement a massive help desk in government hospitals.

Read excerpts from the the India Times article below:

In a bid to support “disabled people, pregnant women, and the elderly,” the health department of the state government is set to begin an all-new help desk of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) in all government hospitals.

The project, in its first phase, will be launched across the 12 district hospitals of the state. Services will thereafter be extended to community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs). Health officials said the staff crunch would necessitate a phased implementation of this project.

Uttarakhand has 12,000 ASHA workers, who are responsible for the implementation of the project.

Workers attached to the help desks will be available to help people in special categories avail health services. They will serve as counselors and care-takers, so that these people do not return demoralized from hospitals.

Director Dr Ajeet Gairola of the national health programme said, “We will implement the project as done by Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Our ASHA desk will give support to the neediest patients of hospitals who are generally left out due to the crowd. They are also not very knowledgeable about their own conditions and do not often know of the special schemes they could avail.”

A significant proportion of those seeking out government health services in the state are those who are elderly or pregnant, say officials. If these categories are catered to with care and offered customized services, the health department will have achieved much towards bettering the quality of health services offered in the state, officials said.

Discussion Questions

What are some of the most inspiring help desk solutions you know?

Photo taken in Pushpraj Colony, Jeevan Jyoti Colony, Satna, Madhya Pradesh 485001, India