When auto rickshaws turned into mobile testing labs

Population Foundation of India in its ongoing 'Himmat Hai Toh Jeet Hai' campaign is celebrating stories of inspiring Corona warriors who have beaten the virus against all odds and risen up to help others.

During the lockdown in March, when the nation came to a standstill and thousands were in desperate need of medical help, traditional methods of healthcare began to fall short. This was due to inadequate testing facilities and insufficient accessibility especially in underserved and remote areas. The need of the hour was an innovative solution to accelerate the testing rate for COVID 19. This is where the scholars at Anant National University, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, stepped in to create a quick and viable research-based solution to help ease the crisis.

Dr. Anunaya says, "We converted auto rickshaws into mobile testing labs. But convincing state governments that this radical idea would work, was a big challenge. But finally, the obvious benefits of mobile testing labs won them over. Especially because this innovation not just considerably lowered the cost of establishing labs from scratch but also solved the issue of inaccessibility. While many big labs could not serve the most congested and far-flung parts, these mobile solutions helped underserved citizens who were in desperate need but not on the radar of conventional health services."

At the moment, six such auto labs are being used by BMC, Mumbai and RMC, Rajkot and there are more in the pipeline. Anant National University has surely encapsulated the sentiment behind the campaign, "Himmat Hai Toh Jeet Hai."

The Himmat Hai Toh Jeet Hai campaign by Population Foundation of India that was launched in September with a stirring anthem, continues to celebrate stories of courage and hope during the ongoing pandemic. The campaign is guided by renowned film and theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan. Khan is PFI's Creative Advisor and has directed their flagship trans-media edutainment show Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon. Through this campaign, PFI wants to showcase real stories of fortitude exhibited by people across society from frontline workers to COVID-19 survivors.