INITIATIVE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

Initiative in Primary Health Care
Developing Health Programmes and Health Advocacy
with People's Organisations
.Towards generating health initiatives embedded in mass movements

Popularly referred as,
'The Arogya Sathi Project'

Objectives of the Project

Establishing dialogue with people's organisations on health issues
Fostering locally sustained Community Health Activist based programmes embedded in people's organisations; developing general approach and methodology for such programmes
Giving inputs to people's organisations for advocacy on key health issues

Expected changes in health care

Such an initiative will link health with people's movements for livelihood and social transformations.
Developing a people based alternative will bring a positive transformation through struggle and creation especially in areas of health.
The project is aimed at developing an alternative to the existing health care system.

Field areas

Dahanu and Jawhar talukas, District, Thane, Maharashtra
Aajra taluka, District Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Sendhwa-Khargone region, Madhya Pradesh

Project Features

Training health workers and promoting health programmes through voluntary organisations and peoples organisations.
Developing standard and scientific training materials for health workers of different categories; to design training manuals and standard curricula for health workers
Conducting workshops / Arogya Yatras towards generation of health awareness
Understanding local factors related to occurrence, prevention and management of disease
Documenting local herbal healing traditions and integrate their use with basic modern medicine
Assisting local organisations in advocacy on key health issues
Ensuring sustainability of the health programme, supported by the people and the local organisation

Achievements of the project-

Examinations conducted for Community Health Activists in Ajara, Dahanu-Jawhar and Badwani areas
Examined non-literate Community Health Activists using the pictorial Multiple Choice Questions and literate Community Health Activists using textual MCQs.
Conducted end-project surveys (consisted of village sample surveys regarding health awareness and health care expenditure) in all the three areas.
Conducted focus group discussions in the sample villages on sustainability of the programme.
Organised discussions with leading activists to assess impact of the health programme in strengthening the people's organisations and the involvement of people, especially women.

Summary Of Improvements Due To A.S. Project As Regards Awareness About Certain Health-Related Practices

		Ajara	Jawhar	Badwani
1)	Irrational demand for injections	++	+	++
2)	Irrational use of injections by doctors	++++	++	+
3)	Preferred solution for lack of First Contact Care	+	+	Not investigated
4)	Extra charging by govt. doctors	-	-	-
5)	Approach to infertility	0	-	-
6)	Menstrual taboos	++	++	-
7)	Health expenditure per last episode	++++	++++	++++
8)	Use of Arogya Sathis for First Care	++++	++++	++++

Note: - Deterioration, 0 No improvement, + upto 10% improvement, ++ 10-25% improvement, +++ 25-50% improvement, ++++ 50-75% improvement, +++++ more than 75% improvement

Based on comparison between baseline and end-project expenditure reported by the people, savings on an average of Rs 80/- per episode were noted. The average expenditure per episode in the baseline survey were Rs 127/- and the end-project survey was Rs 47/- .

Awareness and Training material developed in Marathi and Hindi during the project period

Sitemap