Once the COVID-19 pandemic began to soar back in March 2021, Rajasthan was first among states to implement population level preventive and containment measures. The Department of Medical & Health, Government of Rajasthan (DMHS-GoR) regularly monitored COVID-19 positivity rate and tracked COVID-19 positive cases across the state and initiated appropriate measures at the policy level as well as in the field. These timely actions, keeping the common citizen at the center, were integral in all decisions taken by the Government to limit the number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

During the second COVID-19 wave in2021 in the state various district level initiatives were instituted by the DMHS-GoR also covering the private hospitals and non-governmental organizations in order to save lives and livelihood of COVID-19 patients and their families. These initiatives with supreme consideration to save human lives and alleviate any potential human suffering. The initiatives included, Emergency procurement and provision of Oxygen for medical institutions as well as citizens and accelerating establishment of Oxygen generation plants, free of cost testing and treatment of, including free drugs, of all COVID-19 patients at government facilities, regulating costs for COVID-19 testing and treatment at private hospitals, ramping up ambulance services, free of cost COVID-19 vaccination for the public and further ensuring participation of elected representatives in ensuring implementation of all announced public measures and ensuring availability of essential supplies for the citizens of the state.

With support from Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) and World Health Organization (WHO), the DMHS-GoR captured these initiatives, resulting best practices as well as citizen’s perspective of various measures and services as testimonials in a book titled “COVID KI KAHANI JANTA KI ZABANI” (the story of COVID in words of the Public). The book has been disseminated and shared with relevant stakeholders in October 2021. NIPI team supported the state in compiling, drafting and finalizing the content and the document.