Community health Programme in Sundarban

 Astami , wife of Mr. Chandrakanta  is 23 years old, lives with her husband in Hearambagopalpur village with her parents-in-laws and one son of four (4) years. Candrakanta has no cultivable land and he goes to deep sea by trawler catching fish with a fishermen group and this is the only means of his livelihood. The family is very poor and Candrakanta somehow maintains his family with financial adversity, since he gets meager amount of money from his occupation.

Five years back, when Astami was first time pregnant, she was brought under the treatment of local quack. Her husband used to come home at intervals of 20/30 day even more and pay cost of her pregnancy care to quack. Her parents-in-laws even Chandrakanta never thought about the antenatal cares for her and decided to conduct delivery at home. The health workers of Sabuj Sangha, after identifying her pregnancy advised for proper antenatal cares, its necessity and institutional delivery even they provided cares to their level best. The health workers wanted to know about her delivery plan but they didn’t give any clear opinion on that. The parents-in-laws and Chandrakanta didn’t listen to the advice of health workers. At her advanced stage, one day the quack suggested them to admit her to a nursing home at Raidighi for delivery and they did that. Fortunately, Astami delivered a male baby in the nursing home and a poor man like Chandrakanta had to pay Rs. 14,000.00. If the quack could advise them to go to Government health institution they could save such amount of money.

This incidence opened the eyes of the family members of Chandrakanta and they realized the situation. During the second pregnancy of Astami they didn’t go to quack but consulted the health workers of Sabuj Sangha. As guided by them, Chandrakanta took a Health Card from CHPS programme office and got free facility of doctor’s consultation. She became regular attending ANC camps for checkups, received iron & calcium tablets also other medicinal support and followed the instructions given by the doctor and CHPS team members. In due course Astami delivered her second male baby with birth weight of 2.550 kilograms in Community Delivery Centre (CDC) of Sabuj Sangha free of cost. All the family members of Astami are now highly convinced about the service delivery through community health programme and Chandrakanta said, “Really I committed mistake during the first pregnancy of my wife, I lost the amount of money that is huge for me. I and my parents realized that, the quality services are delivered through CHPS. I will advise my neighbors to attend CHPS team members for any health issues in future. I thank Sabuj Sangha providing such services to poor people of Sunderbans.”