Support tribal people from remote villages in availing quality healthcare services

Swasthya Swaraj is working in 76 villages of Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi district of Odisha. These villages are predominantly tribal populated. The important health indicators of any region include those of the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. The infant mortality rate is 107 per 1000 births and 62% of this high mortality is because of high newborn mortality. Early marriage, illiteracy, absence of health education and antenatal care facilities are important causes for this. Malaria is the number one killer in the region. 42% school children tested positive for malaria in mass screening. 50% of the underfive children are underweight and 60% of children are stunted. Prevalence of TB is also high in this area. Lacks of infrastructures - roads, public transport facilities and communication, have been major hindrances in allowing development to take place in this block. The geographical terrain is thickly forested and hilly, restricting reach to the interior areas.

1) Run 24/7 health clinics in remote villages (Kaniguma and Kerpai)

2) Organise outreach health camps for pregnant women and children in far villages

3) Training of at least one woman per village as the village health worker and training of traditional birth attendants

4) Community health awareness activities with the help of community mobilisation and meetings

5) Training of educated tribal girls (minimum class 12) as community health practitioners under diploma in community health practice in local setting, in collaboration with Centurion university, Bhubaneswar

6) Health promotion as an initiative to improve education, health and nutrition in 15 government primary schools in 2 gram panchayats

7) Wholistic empowerment programme for tribal adolescent girls (TULSI programme)

8) Setting up community based nutrition centres (Gaon Poshan Gharo) for management of severe acute malnutrition in children in 10 locations.

Improved health seeking behavior is evident by the number of persons attending the out-patient department at the health centers. The numbers have increased from 120-150 per month in 2014 to 1200-1500 per month in 2017. Detection of malaria in its early stages has increased by 60%. The organizations’ health centers are the only two in the block equipped to manage medical emergencies such as severe malaria. The health centres have saved many lives. Skin diseases such as scabies used to be more than 60% of the patient load in the early years.

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