Empowering Voices for Health and Healing through Call4Svasth's Telehealth Initiative

In Rajasthan's Kota, lives Susheela*, a 45-year-old woman from a tribal community. She was known for her melodious voice and heartfelt singing during religious ceremonies.

One fateful day in July 2023, during an extended performance where Susheela sang her heart out for hours, she unknowingly made a great sacrifice. She had overused her voice to the point of damaging her voice box. Little did she know that she would have to pay such a high price for her devotion.

Throughout the next two agonizing months, she suffered hoarseness in her speech and continuous discomfort in her vocal cords. Being a single woman and a divorcee who runs a small kirana shop, Susheela had no one to lean on. Not only could she not speak, she had no one to speak to. She was forced to face this nightmare alone as the pain in her throat became unbearable.

Seeking help, Susheela visited a doctor who delivered terrible news – she had laryngitis, an inflammation of the voice box caused by overuse and infection. Surgery was recommended as the only solution, a troubling prospect given the emotional and financial toll it would take on her. Susheela would have to spend INR 60,000 and also recover all by herself.

Just when she thought all hope was lost, she was enrolled in the community participatory surveillance program of the Call4Svasth (C4S) program by dedicated community health workers of C4S.

Call4Svasth is a "phygital" (physical + digital) platform offering hyper-localised, community-led helplines staffed by trained healthcare professionals and counsellors. In September 2023, C4S's Nurse Aided Caller (NAC), Rahul, and nurse, Ravindra, connected with Susheela when she needed it the most. 

The NAC immediately linked her over a call with a team of caring nurses and doctors who took a different approach to her recovery. Instead of suggesting surgery, the doctor said, “I have seen your reports. Some people take only a couple of weeks to recover, while others may take up to six months. You must give your voicebox all the rest it deserves…” then the doctor prescribed some medication and a voice care regimen.

With constant support and monitoring from C4S, Susheela's voice gradually healed, defying the need for surgery. She regained her voice and is doing very well now. During a follow-up call to check Susheela’s status, she answered with much enthusiasm saying, “May god bless you! I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I never knew one could receive treatment over the phone so thank you again!”

Susheela's story shows how one woman, with the help of her community and her determination, managed to maintain her health and well-being despite the challenges posed by geography, logistics, and finances that people from vulnerable communities deal with every day. Telehealth and tele-care services can help us reach those with limited support. According to figures provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 3 crore people were reached via tele-consultations - the impact of tele-care in achieving Universal Health Coverage can be huge! 

Your Donation Matters: Susheela is one of 2,32,181 people Call4Svasth has been able to reach so far! C4S has been making last mile, primary healthcare delivery accessible to some of the hard-to-reach populations such as migrants, sex workers, tribal communities,, LGBTQIA+ people in urban and rural areas. Technology enables this process but C4S remains people-centric at its core. C4S works with 6 different types of communities in 8 states (Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) across India.

Your donations can play a catalysing role in expanding this network of hope and healing that provides services like telehealth, tele-counselling, and access to social protection schemes. Together, we can empower voices like Susheela's to soothe our hearts once more. Join us in making a difference today!