COVID-19 Outbreak Challenges in Indian Migrant Pregnant and Lactating Mothers: Learnt Lesson Demands Phronesis and Hierarchical Strategies for Such Future Pandemics.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been found to influence almost all sectors starting from socio-religious to educational and environmental levels. However, the systematically planned or unplanned implementation of sudden lockdown across the globe, including India, has pushed the migrant workers into huge troubles. Without savings and transport systems, food security and other problems pushed migrant workers to walk to home from working places covering over 1000 km. Walking under the hot sun with heavy luggage and child in the womb or arm has affected the lactating mothers or pregnant women the most. The objective of this review article was to analyse the problems faced especially by the women migrant workers in India in order to point out and to adapt future strategies for their protection. METHODS: All published relevant literature from scientific sources and reputed news channels are considered to write the current review. RESULTS: Tremendous adverse effects of COVID-19 have been observed at social/cultural/religious/economic levels and other sectors of the society albeit its huge progressive but temporary effects are also observed on environment. The environment is self-regenerating, while the economy is pushed to an unseen manner. This is because many countries including India have adopted social lockdowns as a measure of prevention against the highly contagious disease. The results of lockdowns are encourageable as far as the reduced infection and death rate is concerned. For example, India being the second largest populous country with less advanced healthcare system is enjoying a comparatively low rate of death in COVID-19. However, sudden lockdowns followed by shutdowns mediated by industrial closure have pushed many migrant workers to walk to home by passing over even >1000 kilometres of distance on barefoot. Without transport systems, proper food and medications, many migrant workers faced un-imaginary difficulties, and some of them have also died on the way. Pregnant women and lactating mothers were also in the list and found to face unseen problems while migrating to their home from their working places with a load of child in the womb or on arm. So, phronesis of such problems and hierarchical strategies are suggested. CONCLUSION: Since such zoonotic pandemics cannot be avoided in the near future, solid future strategies must be adopted by different nations especially under developed and poor countries to tackle the problem of the migrant workers including the pregnant women and the lactating mothers.