Punjab’s community hotline to solve healthcare problems and check female foeticide draws good response

Call 1: A man calls from Amritsar to report the death of two female infants in a hospital Action: With the state infamous for foeticides and infanticides, the health authorities do not take chances and immediately send teams to investigate the matter. It is found that while one infant died of a respiratory problem, the other succumbed to diarrhoea.

Call 2: A caller from Kapurthala complains of water stagnation in his area.

Action: District epidemiologist is sent to the spot and anti-mosquito and anti-larva medicines are sprayed. Besides, a health education programme is conducted.

Call 3: Another resident of Kapurthala informs the authorities about water contamination.

Action: Emails and SMSes are sent to civil surgeons, district programme managers and monitoring and evaluation officers. Within two hours, the problem is solved.

Informing the health authorities about a tuberculosis patient, poor sanitation condition, lack of healthcare facilities or about a pregnant woman being taken for foeticide or pressurised to abort a female foetus, is now just a call away in Punjab.

The state has started a hotline (0172-4005252) under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to deal with various health problems. Though the hotline has been receiving maximum calls for sanitation and other health problems, the focus is on checking female foeticide.

Since its launch early this month, the control room set up in Chandigarh has received over 230 calls. Operating from Monday to Friday (9 am to 6 pm), the hotline keeps the callers anonymous by blocking their numbers and also changing the voice pitch, using a digital technique.

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