Gosaikunda Rural Municipality in Rasuwa has started providing door-to-door health services to all residents of the local unit.

The campaign, led by the rural municipality Chairman Kaisangnurpu Tamang, has already taken off in wards 5 and 6. “We started this campaign a few days ago and have reached out to more than 200 individuals so far,” said Tamang.

Women volunteers and health workers of various health posts in the rural municipality have been deployed for the campaign. “The volunteers and health workers enquire about people’s health conditions and take their temperatures,” said Bimal Ghimire, chief at the health section of the rural municipality. “The families are taught preventive measures to fight Covid-19.”

According to Ghimire, the health workers are also distributing masks and soaps to the families they visit during the campaign.

“The villagers are shown the proper way to wash hands using soap,” said Ghimire.

Lakpa Tamang, a resident of the local unity’s ward no. 6, said he feels at ease now that he and his family members have gone through the preliminary screening for the virus.

“Our fears are at bay now. The health workers screened us for fever and other symptoms. They also told us the importance of wearing face masks and taught us the right way to wash our hands,” said Lakpa.

According to the rural municipal office, the campaign was initiated to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the local unit. Chairman Tamang said his office has also decided to provide medicines to patients who are on medication for other diseases.

“The campaign will soon reach the rest of the four wards of the rural municipality,” said Tamang.

The rural municipality has set up quarantine facilities at Timure (8 beds), Syaphrubesi (15 beds) and Dhunche (50 beds). It has so far conducted rapid diagnostic tests on nine individuals who had stayed in the quarantine facilities. All nine results came out negative.

In the last few days, the rural municipality received nine individuals who had reached on foot from various parts of the country.

“All of them are kept at the quarantine facility in Syaphrubesi. We are going to conduct their RDT tests soon,” Tamang said.

Meanwhile, the district authorities have been conducting rapid diagnostic tests on all individuals who have arrived in Rasuwa from abroad or other districts since the start of the lockdown.

Fifty seven individuals from abroad have entered the district so far. Chief District Officer Arjun Bhandari said, “We have conducted 57 rapid diagnostic tests in the district. All test results were negative.”