A village with no hospitals, no doctors, struggled before the COVID-19 ‘tsunami’ in India

In the remote Indian village of Chogath, local pharmacist Jeetu has become the only medical resource for people with COVID-19.

Jeetu, local pharmacist and volunteer doctor in Chogath village, Gujarat state, on May 9. Photo: CNN According to CNN (USA), India’s second COVID-19 wave has devastated major cities and urban centers, depleting hospitals of oxygen and medicine. Meanwhile, in rural areas and remote villages, doctors and clinics are even rarer, leaving residents fighting for their own lives without care. Chogath Village is a rural community in the western state of Gujarat, home to about 7,400 residents, according to the latest census in 2011. Earlier this week, pharmacist Jeetu said there were between 500 and 600 schools. with COVID-19, while deaths also spiked. However, there are no doctors or medical facilities in the nearest village and city more than an hour away. There are medical stations in a number of neighboring towns, but these small facilities also have no longer beds and essential supplies. Amid a spike in morbidity and mortality, Mr. Jeetu was forced to take on the role of a volunteer doctor, using his experience as a pharmacist to provide oxygen and prescribe medicine to the people. . “No one here, no medical center, no doctors, no nurses,” he said. “There are no medical facilities in this village. So I have to deal with the situation in the way I find the best fit.” Dinesh Makwana and his father, Mr. Jivraj, from Chogath village in Gujarat state, India, May 9. Photo: CNN India is coping with an ongoing health crisis everywhere from the capital New Delhi to the smallest villages and towns. The second wave of COVID-19 epidemic has infected millions of people across the country over the past month, with thousands dying every day. As of May 12, India has recorded over 23.3 million cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, being the second most severely affected country in the world, behind only the US, according to University data. Johns Hopkins. In Chogath, the lack of medical assistance forced the desperate villagers to travel to the surrounding towns in the hope of finding a hospital bed. Dinesh Makwana, from Chogath village, said he tried to send his father with COVID-19 to four different hospitals in neighboring towns in the state of Gujarat, but all had no vacancies. With no other choice, Makwana had to bring his father, who had been diagnosed with a serious illness, back to the village. “We were shocked by the second wave. The whole village was shocked, everyone was scared,” Makwana said. “I know many people in the village who died from COVID-19. I thought that my father wouldn’t make it either.” A volunteer cremates people in Chogath village, Gujarat, on May 9. Photo: CNN Pharmacist Jeetu, affectionately known by the villagers as “Jeetu”, gave Makwana’s father some medicine to help stabilize his health. Makwana’s sister and mother are also infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus. Located on the veranda of the house, Makwana’s mother gasped, next to a picture of Hindu gods hanging high on the wall. “I worry about my family,” said Mr. Jivraj, Makwana’s father. “If I die, my family doesn’t know how I will live. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m worried about my wife.” Mr. Girjashankar, 70, helped the villagers cremate the bodies. He filled the tractors with wood and brought them into the village to make a funeral pyre. The village usually records only about 30 people dead each year but over the past month they have cremated 90 bodies. Some families have lost many members because of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A man was vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine in Guwahati, India on May 8. Photo: CNN Some experts and government committee members think the second wave of infections may be nearing a peak, meaning that daily new infections will soon drop. However, high mortality is predicted to persist throughout the month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has worked to respond to this crisis by sending oxygen sources to many states and distributing medical supplies from abroad. But supply shortages mean most of the support will be shipped to the most densely populated cities with the highest number of infections, leaving villages like Chogath on their own when SARS-CoV-2 virus. attack of households. “The village doesn’t get government support, there are no doctors, there is no way to go to major hospitals,” said Girjashankar. “No one is looking at this place, there are no government employees to support us.” Jeetu said he was “very angry” because the village lacked help from the authorities. “But what can we do?” He said. “We don’t have a solution, the people here are very poor.” Meanwhile, the villagers have no choice but to wait for help and pray they will recover. “All the villagers are scared. For the past 15 to 20 days, no one comes out of the house. Everyone was very worried,” Makwana said.