Transgenders on forefront of battle towards COVID in Odisha

Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: COVID-19 could also be a serious disaster for mankind however there isn’t a dearth of people that have come ahead to battle it.

The transgenders too are manning the frontlines. Princess (31) of Umar Colony in Rourkela made her intentions clear when she met the extra district Justice of the Peace of Steel City final yr and expressed her willingness to work with the administration.

“I came across people’s sufferings and wanted to work with the administration to mitigate them,” Princess, the primary transgender frontline employee of Rourkela mentioned. 

A diploma holder in Computer Applications, she joined the Covid care centre at Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) campus in Rourkela as an information operator on contractual foundation.

The obligations included coming into knowledge of sufferers getting admitted to the centre, informing authorities about important sufferers and dealing with formalities regarding discharge of recovered sufferers. 

 She additionally coordinated with nurses an

d medical doctors to make sure sufferers had been handled on the earliest. “I knew the risk of coming into direct contact with the attendants and nurses but I kept discharging my duties as it was the need of the hour,” she mentioned. 

Princess additionally helped housekeeping employees, attendants and safety guards of the centre get admitted to hospital in the event that they obtained contaminated. She labored on the centre from May, 2020 to January this yr. 

As the second wave of the virus, deadlier than the primary hit the State, Princess joined the Covid vaccination centre at Panposh in Rourkela in March and helped folks register on the CoWIN portal.

“I made at least 200 entries daily after the vaccination drive was started earlier this year. I registered for people who could not do it themselves as they were illiterate,” she mentioned. 

The hardwork didn’t go unnoticed. Rourkela ADM, Aboli Sunil Naravane mentioned, “Princess is our first transgender frontline worker. When we were short of manpower last year, the transgender association came forward and offered to help.” 

Along with Princess, social activist Meera Parida and several other different transgenders joined Covid amenities to contribute their bit to the society.