Sex Workers In Karnataka Make A Push For 3xpanding Telemedicine-Based Healthcare Service Nationwide
Update: 2023-02-21 10:21 IST
Representational image
The "Phone Maadu" initiative, which provided easy access to doctors and high-quality healthcare for sex workers in some areas of Karnataka during COVID-19 without stigmatising them and guaranteeing their anonymity, is now being scaled up further by leveraging technology and expanded to benefit other marginalised groups.
Ashodaya Samithi, a Mysuru-based organisation organised by sex workers, launched the "Phone Maadu" (or Phonehealth Clinic) telehealth programme in response to community needs identified during the COVID-19 lockdown and a lack of access to health care services.
The "Phone Maadu" study, which details how Ashodaya's innovation promoted and provided for changes in the way health care was supplied to sex workers, was released on Monday by Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra.
Phone Maadu, a telemedicine-based strategy, uses phone calls, WhatsApp, and SMS to deliver and receive information between community members and clinicians. Several sex workers chose "Phone Maadu" to in-person doctor visits because they valued the privacy it offered and the ease of speaking freely on a mobile phone.
Furthermore, the community cited the system's non-stigmatizing qualities as one of its advantages; in contrast, while using a government or private facility, there is a chance they will experience some level of stigma because of their identification.