Community health Programme in Sundarban

Since Sundarban is an island, therefore the targeted areas situated at very remote places and detached from mainland. The transportation and communication facilities are very poor. The inhabitants are from the marginalised section of the society and mostly from BPL families. The health services are not in the reach of the community and at the same time not adequate also. People of the community depend on the quacks, which is harmful to them and to fight against it there is a need of qualified doctors.

To reach every corner of the targeted areas, four locations in remote distant islands were fixed by Sabuj Sangha in the beginning of the year of conducting Mobile Medical Camps (MMCs). Those were in Sabuj Sangha’s Outreach Centre of Herambogopalpur, Multi-Purpose Community Centre (MPCC) in Herambogopalpur, MPCC of Maheshpur and MPCC of Achintanagar. Schedule for conducting MMCs was developed and displayed in different centres with days, time and duration of camp for people’s information about the service delivery. Communication materials like posters, banners & charts with health messages including care of pregnant women, safe motherhood, institutional delivery, nutritional food, child care & immunisation, family planning etc were distributed in the surrounding areas for information dissemination and generating people’s awareness. The health camps were conducted by the doctors, attending nurses, pathology technicians, health workers and staffs responsible for camps using existing old vehicle of the organization and provided health checkup & treatment services with medicinal facilities. In the last financial year (April 2015 – March 2016), 3024 patients were covered in MMCs.

Ashima is an inhabitant of Kuemuri village of Herembogopalpur GP and her husband, Binod, is a van-puller. She is a pregnant woman. She said, “From my house it is hard to reach the hospital as roads are not good in condition. The health worker of Sabuj Sangha informed me about the schedule of the mobile health camp in Kuemuri and she also informed me that a specialised gynaecologist would be visiting the camp. I visited and taken advise from the doctor and also did follow-up check-ups. Now I am feeling better as check up was urgently needed. This MMC is very helpful for me and I will inform others to visit the specialized doctors arranged by Sabuj Sangha in the MMCs, instead of visiting the quacks and I will visit again if needed."