Chhattisgarh: Health team crosses swollen river to set up camp in Bijapur village

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], September 8 (ANI): Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr. BR Pujari and his team on Sunday crossed the overflowing Chintavagu river by boat to set up a health camp in Mannur village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.
The team had to travel to the remote area to conduct malaria check-ups and administer vaccinations.
Speaking to ANI, CMHO Dr. Pujari said his team faced serious challenges while crossing the river during the monsoon. "We are here, and when we were about to cross the Sundaravati River in the Bhamragad block, we faced problems there, especially during the rainy season," he said.
"After crossing the river by boat, we have to go on foot to cover the entire area, especially in our Bagaria and Guddu regions, because boats do not operate there, as the area is rocky. This causes problems in providing health facilities for one or two months. The Indravati River in that area has bushes in the middle, which causes some issues. Once the water level decreases, we cover that area as well," he added.

A healthcare worker from the team said that they are conducting the 12th round of the malaria programme in the area, alongside the vaccination drive. "Now, we will walk 5 km inside, and seeing the rain, we have also arranged raincoats and other supplies," he said.
Another team member said, "We have to cross this river at least twice. This is our area of work. When we go there, we start the vaccination programme and check for malaria... Apart from this, we also look out for cold, cough, flu, and fever."
The worker added that swollen rivers often prevented them from returning.
"We faced a lot of problems during the rainy season. Sometimes we couldn't cross the rivers. When the river overflows, we stay in the village, and when the water level subsides, we cross it by boat," the health professional said. (ANI)