https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An IPS Officer Who Became A Doctor During Har Ghar Dastak

IPS Dhananjay Ghanwat administered Covid vaccines to villagers of a remote village in Assam himself to help them get over their fears. The officer, who is currently the Superintendent of Police, Sonitpur district, Assam, is known for his proactive initiatives during the two Covid waves that helped to contain the spread. Before joining IPS, he worked as a medical officer in ONGC Mumbai for some time.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Yesterday, a photograph from Assam circulating on social media caught the attention of a lot of people. It was a photograph of a police officer in uniform administering Covid vaccine to a person. Besides the natural curiosity, eyebrows were raised, also. Indian Masterminds was curious, too, and contacted this officer to find out why he had to administer the vaccine himself when so many medical personnel were around.

The officer in question is Superintendent of Police, Sonitpur. And he is an MBBS doctor. Before joining Civil Services, he worked as a medical officer in ONGC Mumbai for some time. In an exclusive conversation, IPS Ghanwat told Indian Masterminds why he had to administer the vaccines himself and also outlined a few proactive initiatives taken up by him at the height of the Covid war, that received praise and recognition from all quarters.

Dr Dhananjay Ghanwat (IPS)

TO ASSUAGE FEARS

IPS officer Dhananjay Ghanwat accompanied a medical team to a remote tribal village in Sonitpur district for ‘Har Ghar Dastak’, the door-to-door vaccination campaign launched by the central government. The campaign has become more urgent now because of the scare of the Omicron variant, with WHO issuing warnings to nations to take early precautions.

However, the team encountered stiff resistance in the village, predominantly inhabited by people of the Bodo tribe. Because of superstitions and fear for the vaccine, the people of the village stubbornly refused to take the jab.

It was left to the district police chief to step in and assuage the fears. Mr. Ghanwat explained to the people why the vaccine was necessary and why there was nothing to fear about it. Then he went a step ahead and said he will administer the vaccine himself. On hearing that the SP of their district would administer the vaccine to them, the villagers’ fears got allayed and they agreed to take the jab.

The policeman in him stepped aside as Dr Ghanwat took over and administered the vaccines.

“The villagers were adamant not to take the vaccine jab. That’s when I had to step in. Since I am a MBBS, I am qualified to do so. The moment I said I will personally administer the vaccines, the villagers’ fears were assuaged and we could instil confidence in them. One by one, they came forward to take the jab.”

COVID SENTINEL

Being a qualified doctor helped this police officer to take many proactive steps during the first and second waves of the pandemic, as he was more aware of the ground realities, and his medical knowledge helped him to put into place some adequate measures to contain the spread.

During the first wave, Dr Ghanwat introduced the ‘Covid Sentinel’ project in his then district, Dhemaji, which was so successful that it was adopted by Assam Police and implemented in the entire state.

The project was conceptualised by Dr Ghanwat with help from a medical practitioner, Dr Gayatri Gogoi, and was launched with NGO Pratishruti as a partner. They roped in youths to work from home in a social call centre, thereby utilising around 500 youth productively during the lockdown.

“The project involved a four-layer strategy. 1. Monitoring. We kept track of the patient and family’s whereabouts. Besides talking to them on phone, we also used a geo fencing android app to know their locations. 2. Explaining the Dos and Don’ts. We explained Covid appropriate behaviour to them in colloquial language. 3. Trouble shooting. We took care of their financial, medical, psychological, and policing needs. 4. Research. We gave them a questionnaire to fill out and, also, recorded their calls. We recorded 7 lakhs calls and our research papers got published in medical journals.”

The officer further informed that they also invited eminent personalities like singers, musicians, sports persons etc, to interact on zoom sessions with the call centre youths to enthuse and motivate them. It was a good community movement, he said.

PHARMA SENTINEL

During the first wave, a lot of people were buying over-the-counter medicines if they had any Covid symptoms, to avoid being identified. It was then that the officer launched his ‘Pharma Sentinel’ initiative.

“When we noticed that people were trying to escape the net, we handed all pharmacies a link to a google form where they had to fill in the name of the patient, the name of the medicine, and the phone number of the buyer. These numbers would then get a call from the police control room. We collected 35 random samples from among them and found out that the positivity rate was very high, about 70 per cent. These cases would have gone unreported otherwise. In this way, we were able to contain the spread.”

MEDICAL KIT FOR POLICEMEN

Dr Ghanwat also made sure every police station and outpost in his district had a medical kit which contained an oxymeter to calculate SP02, thermometer to measure temperature, glucometer to measure blood sugar and sphygmomanometer to check blood pressure. He made it mandatory for all police personnel to get themselves checked periodically and fill up the details in a google form for records. “This way, we could test the health parameters of all our staff, and take care of them.”

MBBS TO IPS

After completing MBBS, Dr Ghanwat, who hails from Satara, Maharashtra, started working in ONGC Mumbai as a medical officer. After a while, he quit this job to teach in a private medical college so that he gets more time to devote to his UPSC preparation. He cracked CSE in 2009 and joined IPS. And the rest is history. His message to all young aspirants is: “If you have a passion, remain committed to it. Pay more attention to the ‘longing and belonging’ within you. Dream big, follow your passion, and you will get there!”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Bhind DM
Bhind Collector Caught on Camera Slapping Student During Exam, Incident Sparks Outrage
IAS Raju Mishra
Raju Mishra Appointed Special Secretary in West Bengal Industry Department
406951-supreme-court-of-india-sc
Centre Files Review Petition Against Supreme Court’s Order on IPS Deputation in CAPFs
J P Singh
IPS Dr J P Singh Takes Voluntary Retirement; Likely to Contest Bihar Assembly Elections from Chhapra - Know More About Him
Pushkar-Singh-Dhami
Uttarakhand: Ambedkar Bhawan Ready in Rudrapur to Empower SC Artisans; Three-Tier Audit Committee Formed Before Handover
CM Nitish Kumar
From Welfare to Wealth: Bihar Unveils CSR Policy 2025 - A Game-Changer for Private Sector Investment in Public Welfare
Ladli Behna Yojana Madhya Pradesh
MP CM Mohan Yadav Announces Rs 1543 Cr Aid for Ladli Sisters, Vows Pucca House for Every Beneficiary
Uttar Pradesh livestock development
UP Leads in Milk Output, CM Yogi Unveils National Workshop to Promote Indigenous Breeds
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
The Martial Artist IRS Officer Who Conquered North East India on a Cycle
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sushmitha and Ishwarya Ramanathan
Their Home Was Washed Away — Sushmitha & Ishwarya Built a Legacy Instead
Sushmitha and Ishwarya lost their home to the 2004 tsunami. But with books, belief, and each other, they...
IAS SHWETA BHARTI Bihar
From Wipro to Civil Services: How Bihar's IAS Shweta Bharti Juggled a BPSC Job While Preparing for UPSC
IAS Shweta Bharti, from rural Bihar, balanced a full-time job and UPSC prep with discipline, cracked...
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Social Media
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
Kaziranga Baby Elephant
Chotu the Baby Elephant Reunited with Mother in Kaziranga: Retired IFS Officer’s Post Goes Viral
A baby elephant's emotional reunion with its mother in Kaziranga, shared by retired IFS officer Susanta...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Bhind DM
Bhind Collector Caught on Camera Slapping Student During Exam, Incident Sparks Outrage
IAS Raju Mishra
Raju Mishra Appointed Special Secretary in West Bengal Industry Department
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ravi Kapoor
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT