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NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

PRASAD Community Health Programs

Health care programs can be sustainable and effective only if curative programs are complemented by preventative and community health initiatives.

PRASAD Chikitsa's approach to health care is holistic. While many of our programs meet the immediate needs of the people of Tansa Valley, our preventative health initiatives are aimed at improving the health of communities, children and mothers over a longer period of time.

PRASAD's general health care, eye care, dental care and HIV/AIDS programs are backed by a wide range of community health programs, including the Reproductive and Child Health Program, Midwife Training, School Health, and Nutrition programs.

Reproductive & Child Health (RCH)

The primary objective of RCH — launched in March 2002 — is to educate pregnant women to come for regular prenatal checkups so that any complications that may be life-threatening can be detected and managed early. The secondary objective is to educate pregnant women in child care, nutrition, hygiene etc, so that they have a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Activities include:

• Training PRASAD Chikitsa staff in prenatal, natal, neonatal and postnatal care
• Improving the skills and knowledge of dais (midwives)
• Setting up transportation links between remote villages and the nearest medical facilities
• Putting in place a strong referral support system by linking with nearby obstetrics facilities, primary health centers and rural private and government hospitals
• Forming working partnerships and liaisons with other agencies and programs in the field of maternal child care

Since the RCH program began, more than 2,000 women have participated, with tangible, positive results. Among the program’s achievements has been a significant number of infants whose birth weights exceed the Indian national average birth weight of 2.7 kg or just over five pounds. (Between 2-2.5 kg is considered low birth weight.)

Midwife Training

Midwife (dai) training is a key component of the PRASAD Chikitsa Reproductive Child Health Program (RCH). A well-trained dai can make all the difference between life and death for mother and child. The program began in 2002 and now holds five to six training sessions a year.

The dais are trained in such areas as the likelihood of infection, how to identify high risk factors or complications, how to refer or transfer pregnant women to a medical facility, etc. PRASAD Chikitsa staff make it clear to them that they are not out to change all their traditional practices, but only to make them aware of safe practices.

The curriculum of the training program also includes topics such as anatomy and physiology, cleanliness, nutrition, the stages of pregnancy, normal and abnormal labor and delivery, and the birth and care of neonates. Each dai also receives a gift bag containing basic supplies that she can use in her work, like a rubber mat, soap, razor, brush and towels.

School Health

PRASAD Chikitsa believes that healthy children grow up to be healthy adults, so health appraisals are conducted in the schools of 11 Tansa villages every six months. The appraisal includes a physical examination, a dental checkup, and distribution of medicine.

In addition, PRASAD Chikitsa also distributes Vitamin A and deworming tablets to the children. Also included are health-related presentations to the children and their teachers.

There has been a marked improvement in the children’s health since the program began, when most of the children suffered from scabies, head lice and dental cavities. Today, only a few suffer from these problems.

Nutrition

According to UNICEF, one in every three malnourished children in the world lives in India, and the problem is more acute here than in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of nutrition not only retards the children’s growth, it also renders them susceptible to disease — about 50 percent of all childhood deaths have been attributed to malnutrition.

Most of the people in the Tansa Valley occupy the bottom rung of India’s socioeconomic ladder, so the problem of malnutrition is particularly acute here. PRASAD Chikitsa’s nutrition program is mainly aimed at children, so that they can develop properly and get a fighting chance at life.

Milk Project: One of the earliest efforts at improving the nutritional levels among children, pregnant women and nursing mothers began with the distribution of milk in 1984. Milk is a luxury in this region, and rare is the child who gets a daily glass of milk. Today, jeeps fan out across the region, delivering more than 3,750 glasses of warm milk to 19 locations each week, providing much needed protein and calcium to women and children.

The program has been successful in reducing malnutrition and raising the immunity levels of children and nursing mothers in the area. Since the milk is served in schools, it is also an added incentive for children to attend school.

Meals Program: PRASAD Chikitsa began its PRASAD Meals Program in November 1996 after doctors at the Mobile Hospital noticed high levels of malnutrition among their patients. The program now provides a hot and nutritious meal to children in seven Anganwadis (a sort of play group/ kindergarten), serving over 9,000 meals a month on an average. For many children, this meal is the primary source of nutrition.

As a PRASAD Chikitsa volunteer put it: "You think: what's one meal a day? But, over time, the nourishment people receive is more than physical. They learn to feel good about themselves, so you know they'll do better not just today, but for the rest of their lives.”

• Click here to read about our General Health Care, Eye Care, Dental Care, and HIV/AIDS programs in Tansa.

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