PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Mar 21: After the first stint at Seraikela-Kharsawan district, e-scooters were distributed among Sahiyya Sathis ((Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHA workers) associated with MANSI to address the issue of mobility in the difficult terrains of the West Singhbhum district on Monday.
The programme took place at the Police Ground, Chaibasa where 234 e-scooters were distributed to address the issues related to prompt assistance to pregnant women and neonatal babies.
Notably, a total of 181 e-scooters were distributed on March 13 for Sahiyya Sathis across Saraikela Kharsawan while another 150 will be distributed on March 27 at East Singhbhum.
Sourav Roy, chief, Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel said, “We have been working in tandem with the Sahiyya Sathis, ANMs and the state government to implement innovative public health solutions to scale sustainable impact. The electric scooters are a step ahead towards the co-creation of public health solutions, which remains a commitment of the Tata Steel Foundation. We have reached out to more than 34, 800 pregnant women and mothers through MANSI in the district and the e-scooters will ensure greater reach and faster medical assistance. We are grateful to the district administration and HSBC as partners in this initiative.”
Tata Steel Foundation has collaborated with banking giant HSBC to devise 565 e-scooters to be distributed across these three locations of Seraikela Kharsawan, West Singhbhum and East Singhbhum.
The Sahiyya Sathis are a part of the MANSI programme of the Foundation which is a community-focused public health intervention that addresses rural India’s challenges in accessing quality and affordable health care for mothers and new-born children at the household level.
Before the distribution, an adequate amount of training workshops was arranged and conducted for the Sahiyya Sathis to ensure their safety and driving skills are on point.
The initiative is taken after considering the lack of availability of electricity in the respective areas and therefore the e-scooters are devised in a way so that it takes only 15 amps of power for two and a half hours to get fully charged. They also do not require any driving license as it is below the crucial limit of power a vehicle requires to be considered a motor vehicle.
The Sahiyya Sathis have played one of the most fundamental roles in ensuring maternity and neonatal health during the time of Covid-19 when transportation was almost at a halt.
They selflessly have been the face of MANSI in reducing the neonatal deaths in Jharkhand and fortifying the healthcare system to remain prompt.
