SMVS5

Health for All Health has been declared as a fundamental human right. This implies that the State has the responsibility for the health of its people. Though the government has made several provisions to meet the needs of the entire population to improve its health status, in reality these services are woefully inadequate. For a total population of over 275,000 in Nabadwip block there is just one hospital with 150 beds and a primary health centre attempting to cater to more than 100,000 rural residents. Public maternity and child-care is virtually non-existent in the area with just one government facility nearly 20 kms away in Krishnagar, the district headquarters. Traveling long distances for emergency treatment is a frequent cause of death and complications from severe illness. Still, at present a good portion of the population in the project area have no access to ambulance service. The private health care system caters only to an affluent minority while the dominant population of small and marginal farmers, village artisans and weavers have abysmally low access to qualified medical practitioners. There are a number of traditional practitioners, but they are yet to be integrated into an effective health care delivery system. The incidence of home delivery (usually under unhygienic conditions) was averages over 60% and in most areas was between 70-100%. Malnutrition is another serious problem. At least 50% babies are born weighing less than 2.5 kg. The most recent (1996) infant mortality rate of 76 per 1000 for the district is one of the highest in the state (West Bengal’s overall rate is 55). Naturally, poor prospects for the health and life expectancy of children born in the area have led to a high crude birth rate of over 30 per 1000 and the resultant population exerts pressure on an already impoverished area. The SMVS Village Health Programme is designed to provide a comprehensive set of preventive, promotive and curative services for basic primary health, especially for women and children. Through supporting and enabling the residents of the region in addressing their own health needs SMVS aims to plant and nurture the ‘seeds’ of a health-full future for all. SMVS‘s comprehensive community health service delivery package comprises of: Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) case management programme involving village health workers through door step service. Health outpost clinics in the villages. Community supported ambulance service serving the Project Area. Pathological Laboratory. Safe Drinking water Programme. SMVS is the only NGO offering comprehensive health services in the area. The overall objective of these efforts is to improve the health status of the target areas by augmenting the existing government mechanism, filling wide gaps in its services. SMVS supports and works together to achieve the sectoral goals of the government RCH program at the lowest level. Also SMVS’s community health interventions emphasizes on empowering CBOs particularly the women’s groups (mahila mandals) to act as vehicles of health promotion and good practices through effecting sustainable behavioral changes among the communities. RCH Case Management Programme VHWs deliver Health Service Package through Door to Door visit & Camps: Mother, Child & Eligible couple Registration and Record Keeping. Weighing Programme for mother and child, and maintaining the growth-monitoring chart. Distribution of Supplementary food - Nutrimix for babies (from 6 months). Assist Government Routine Immunization & Pulse Polio Programme. Actively Participate in Govt. Health Camps & Programmes like Leprosy, HIV/AIDS/STD, Malaria & Tuberculosis. Help in Registration of Birth & Death from the Panchayat. Organize ANC Programme with the help of SMVS Doctors and UK Trained Midwife, and regular follow up of Identified High Risk Mothers. Referral System – Communicate patients with SMVS Clinic & Govt. Health Functionaries. Family Welfare - a) Distribution of OCP & CC and mobilize & motivate mothers for IUD. b) Assisting Government Sterilization Camp. Blood Pressure Measuring. Insertion of Intramuscularly Injection. First Aid. Treatment for minor ailments and supplying low cost medicine in 25% subsidized rate. Supplies ORS, IFA, OCP & CC – Indent from Government. Linkages and Collaborations Between SMVS & MOHFW, GOWB SMVS HWs & CWs complementing Government HWs at the field level. Collaboration in organizing Govt. events and camps like HIV/AIDS/STD, Pulse Polio Programme, School Children Rally for Pulse Polio, Sterilization Camp etc. Indent Government medicines, contraceptives, Autoclave for DDK & IEC materials for communities. Participation of Block, District and State level health officials in training programs and workshops of SMVS. SMVS implementing Government RCH Program. Health Promotion within SHGs: Training on Health Promotion to SHG leaders. Issue based Health Awareness Camp. Issue based meeting and focus group discussion. Issue-based Health awareness Camps organized in the community: Early Marriage. Arsenicosis. No Scalpel Vasectomy. Immunization. Reproductive Tract Infection, HIV/AIDS. Capacity Building of Local Health Resources: Local Health Practioners and Traditional Birth Attendants identified and screened and their needs assessed. Workshops, basic orientation Training organized for LHPs and TBAs. Linkage with Govt. Health Functionaries for strengthening Referral System. Village outpost clinics Homeo Clinic- 10 ( once in a week). ANC Clinic-17 ( once in a month). Physiotherapy Clinic – 3 ( once in a week). Pathological Laboratory Due to poor Curative health Infrastructure, SMVS planned to establish a Community supported Hospital where all sorts of diagnostic and clinical facility will be available. This year according to financial availability, SMVS opened Mayapur Pathology to serve the people for their Physiological Diagnosis at subsidized rate. Ambulance Service SMVS is providing an Ambulance Service to all the villages in its Project Operational Area round the clock and helps the patients to reach the hospitals where they are referred to in places like Krishnagar, Ranaghat, Kalyani, Kolkata etc. The people of the targeted area enjoy subsidized rates while availing of the ambulance services during their emergency referrals. The beneficiaries who are under RCH case management receive more discounts in the rates from SMVS. Village Health Achievement Immobilized resources within the community mobilized. Behavioral changes of the community for better health practices. Reduced the home delivery by untrained TBA. Survived Pre matured and under weight babies. Effective and better practices of LHPs reduced the expense of the community. LHPs have grown up the habit of referring the complicated patients at proper time, which reduces the high risk of the patients. Health expenditure reduced for curing acute & chronic diseases in minimum cost at SMVS Clinics. SMVS ANC reduced the expenditure on health. Curative Health Service Programme Simultaneously with the implementation of all the Health care Programmes, SMVS realized a pressing demand from the community to establish a Nursing home at the project area with all diagnostic and clinical facilities like Doctors’ Chamber, Indoor & out door facility, ECG, USG, X-ray, Pathological Laboratory & Medicine Shop. Hence SMVS has already established an Out-door clinic with Pathology Laboratory, Medical shop, ECG & USG Centre and in a process to start a 15 bed Nursing Home with the support of a private Donor from Germany. The objectives and goals of this programme are as follows: SMVS would be a service provider to the community in the project area. Being a service provider, SMVS, without waiting for the Insurance agency to settle the claim which will be a long drawn process, will quickly settle individual insurance claims of the SHG members and will also avoid false claims. After settling the claim to the SHG Members, SMVS will get it reimbursed from the Insurance agency. Community can be benefited by all the health care services provided by SMVS under a single umbrella without any hazards.