COVID – 19 outbreak and it’s community transmission was definitely a challenge for health system. West Bengal government struggled with the pressure of meeting demands for the care of patients in pandemic situation, as well as for the delivery of essential health services to the most vulnerable, such as children, women, elderly persons, specially abled people, people living with chronic diseases, and minorities. The government took several initiatives to handle COVID-19 pandemic including enlisting of private hospitals for COVID-19 care along with adequate supplies, launching dedicated helpline numbers and supportive tools for support to COVID-19 patients and psychosocial support. Still, regular medical care along with antenatal, postnatal care for pregnant women, vaccination programme was disrupted. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the globe, residents of mostly the urban congested slums could be a victim of this pandemic very much. West Bengal Doctors Forum became involved in COVID-19 preparedness and response activities in the slums of selected wards of Kolkata with the support of UNICEF and with the collaboration of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and local community.
Ward number 58, 66 and 80 – Slum areas of these three selected wards under Kolkata Municipal Corporation were selected for the multi-sectoral response keeping in mind the vulnerability of population to communicable & chronic non-communicable diseases, poverty and marginalized population and irregular health facilities. Apart from COVID-19, there is a high prevalence of dengue, tuberculosis in the area. Incidentally, the first case of HIV in Kolkata was identified from this area.
The objectives of the proposed project were:
a. Facilitate continuation of essential RMNCHA+ services in selected urban slums through planning, capacity building, monitoring and supportive supervision, demand generation maintaining COVID compliance.
b. To build the capacity and confidence of Health service providers for prevention, screening and referral of COVID 19 and provide psychosocial support.
c. Providing awareness, social support and mobilization to the community for early detection and linkages with service delivery points for prevention & management of COVID – 19.

This project is commissioned by West Bengal Doctors Forum