Doctors, community health officers, ASHAs, anganwadi workers and multipurpose workers in Silvassa have been ordered to mobilise beneficiaries of government schemes to attend the public meeting for inauguration of the new 450-bed hospital of National Modern Medical Education and Research Institute (NAMO MERI) by PM Modi on March 7.
The preparations for the VVIP visit started over a fortnight back, with medical officers being put in charge in each of the 20 panchayats and 14 wards in Dadra and Nagar Haveli “for extensive IEC (information education and communication) and mobilization of public” to the venue. They were urged to conduct “word of mouth publicity” in an order issued by the medical superintendent and chief medical officer of Sri Vinoba Bhave Civil Hospital on Feb 18. The work to mobilise the public was monitored closely, with those designated being asked to fill in a Google sheet detailing the number of meetings undertaken, messages sent via social media, and to upload pictures.
The dean of NAMO MERI issued a circular on Feb 19 stating that “in view of the upcoming VVIP visit, no leaves shall be granted to faculty, tutors, residents and non-teaching staff until further orders”. It warned that non-compliance of the order would be “viewed seriously”.
The Vinoba Bhave Civil Hospital, over 40 years old, was made the teaching hospital for the new medical college, NAMO-MERI, established in 2019. The campus of the new college was inaugurated by the PM in April 2023. The new hospital being inaugurated is called NAMO hospital.
According to an order issued by the chief medical officer of the department of health and family welfare, more than 30 doctors from 12 primary health centres were made nodal officers “designated to undertake bus/vehicle distribution from transport department to different PHC areas pertaining to the said inauguration”.
Each PHC has been given the job of mobilizing 1,000-2,000 beneficiaries with “bus micro-plans” that detail the bus or tempo number, mobile numbers of drivers, and estimated number of beneficiaries to be picked up from each village. ASHAs, anganwadi workers and multipurpose health workers will be bus coordinators number one, while govt schoolteachers will be coordinators number 2.