Mrs Sandhya Rani Jana: National Achievers Award 2021

Alipurduar: Being recognized for her efforts in rural healthcare, Mrs Sandhya Rani Jana, District Public Health Nursing Officer of a small rural district of West Bengal, has been conferred with the National Achievers Award 2021 with Medal for Individual Achievement, Intellectual Excellence, and National Development by the National Achievers Recognition Forum.

Previously, she was also honored with the Florence Nightingale Award on 5th December 2019, the highest meritorious recognition for a nurse for her contribution as an extraordinary Administrator in Nursing services and an outstanding Mentor in RMNCH+A & Public Health Services. The award was conferred by the honourable President of India, Sri Ramnath Kovind.

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She is currently serving as District Public Health Nursing Officer of Alipurduar District, West Bengal. She has been rendering services uninterruptedly for 28 years in the indoor, outdoor, rural, urban, tribal, hilly, and tea garden areas with the successful implementation of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health, Adolescent health, and public health services.

During her career, she took the initiative to transform labour rooms into a model/near model in the small district and prepared care protocols. In this respect, she generated an excellent Flow Chart which has been accepted as an E-Poster & Audio by the International Council for Nurses, which is available on websites online worldwide. Besides, she initiated 'Mothers' Picnic', an innovative scheme for increasing institutional delivery, safe motherhood, newborn care, and immunization, which is implemented across the state as the "Alipurduar Model".

Some of her other achievements include:

• Active intervention in terms of capacity building of the staff
• Up-gradation of labour room
• Strict implementation of labour room protocols
• Strengthening of SNSU, SNCU, CEmOC Centers, CCU & Dialysis units
• Ensuring increased availability of Nischayyan and Tollfree102 Ambulance

She also played an active role in the COVID-19 disaster situation in preparing micro-plan, COVID roll-out plan, implementation of plans, and follow-up. She also helped in extensive monitoring and supportive supervision of quarantine centres, and in the training of different staff. She dedicated her whole career to the development of several rural healthcare schemes and programs. She also received the National Award 2018 on PMMVY(BMP) by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt. of India on behalf of Alipurduar District for the major contribution to ensuring the services for the mother & intervention through extensive supportive supervision, advocacy, and implementation throughout the district.

On the occasion of receiving the National Achievers Award, Mrs Sandhya Rani stated, "I would like to thank all esteemed authorities, who have recognized my work and given me the opportunity to be here today. I am happy and delighted to share my immense pleasure in the prestigious ceremony as my continuous struggle and hard work is being recognized. Being a mother, I know the effort women have to put to maintain family and career, especially in rural areas, so I hope my achievement can inspire more women to strive for excellence in their respective fields."

Expressing her gratitude towards the health Ministry, she stated, "This opportunity of getting this coveted Prestigious National Achievers Award 2021 is a great recognition and encouragement for people like us to dedicate ourselves to the services of the masses. I am ever grateful and my sincere gratitude and acknowledgment to all who have given me the prestigious opportunity and encouraged as well as guided me for going ahead for serving mankind. Thank you all from my core of heart."