Bringing Basic Healthcare to Urban Slums
Located along the uphill interior, 7 km from the Delhi’s Mahipalpur busy hub, Nalapar slum pocket remains thirsty to avail healthcare services. For pregnant women, it becomes more challenging to travel to such a long distance as there is no public transport connectivity. Keeping the dire need into account, Sukarya’s Urban Slum Health Action (USHA) team reaches this slum every month to provide maternal child healthcare services with objective to detect and treat anemic women and malnourished children. The team consists of female Gynecologist, Dietician, apart from paramedic personnel.
“Sukarya’s health camp is the only hope for all pregnant women like me, living over here. My anemic conditioning was detected at the camp and subsequently I got the treatment and advice”, says Maya. “My husband’s meagre earning does not allow us to hire a cab and access to go to a private hospital”, she added, whose baby was delivered at a government hospital. She further said, “health card provided by Sukarya helped us in availing the government heath facility as it contained detailed history of checkups, hemoglobin and sugar level”. Maya was assessed thoroughly and provided with Iron and Calcium tablets along with nutrition supplements. She took the advice to cook in iron vessel seriously, which added value to the treatment she has received. Very soon, the comprehensive intervention yielded positive results as she attained the normal range of HB.
Since this slum pocket houses migrant population, the habitation witnesses significant number of women and children living with them, mostly migrated from UP, Bihar and West Bengal.
“I am fortunate to be associated with Sukarya to serve this marginalized community. They respect me a lot and call me Didi (Sister). This gives me immense satisfaction and pride”, shares Ramesh, who works as a Community Health Worker in Sukarya, for the past three years.
"Urban Slum Health Action (USHA) Project, Delhi & Gurugram"
Milestones achieved during 21 Feb 2019 - 27 May 2019
Health clinics organised: 20
Patients treated: 976
Women treated in the age group of 15-49 Years: 374
Children treated 0-6 yrs category: 216
Malnourished children identified & treated: 64
Anemic women identified & treated: 308
Women received counselling services: 626
Pregnant women received ANC services: 292
Women recieved PNC services: 63
Total Immunization Coverage: 789
Patients received Nutrition Food supplement: 297
Hygiene sessions organised: 4
Children/people participated: 147
Note: We thank all our volunteers and staff for making a difference where it is needed most.
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SUCCESS STORY: FIGHTING ANEMIA
Meena, a resident of Israel camp, a slum habitation in South West Delhi, constantly had fever and used to faint quite often. She was in a very sensitive state of her pregnancy. Lack of care had put her life in a vulnerable condition. She was not aware of the normal hemoglobin level a pregnant woman requires to have until she visited Sukarya’s health clinic. “It was about two months to come my delivery when I was detected for anemia. I did not know about it. Doctor told me that I had less hemoglobin and needed utmost care and treatment”, says Meena who had safely delivered a baby boy who she named Chirag (means light).
“When she came for checkups, she was quite weak. We advised her to take roasted Gram, green vegetables and use Iron vessel to cook. In addition, she took Iron and calcium tablets. She has improved drastically”, shares Dr Jethra, a Senior Gynecologist working with Sukarya.
“Durga, my sister in law was facing same problem. I had taken her to Clinic organized by Sukarya where she was found to be anemic. She has been receiving treatment and visiting the Clinic regularly to see the improvement” adds Meena.
Most of the women living in the slums have same stories of Meena and Durga, they lack any knowledge about anemia and its severe impact on health. The Clinics not only attempt to provide comprehensive clinical services but advocate for the community to think, and change their perception and bring alertness against this serious issue.
"I have overcame anemia for which I am thankful to Sukarya. I have pledged to spread the message to all women I will come across”, says Meena who has become a change agent and an ambassador for Sukarya.
PROGRESS - REPORT
Urban Slum Health Action (USHA) Project,
Delhi & Gurugram
20 Nov 2018 - 20 Feb 2019
1 No.of Health clinics organised 31
2 No.of patients treated 1584
3 No.of women treated in the age group of 15-49 1120
4 No.of Children treated 0-6 yrs category 365
5 No.of Malnourished children identified & treated 54
6 No.of anemic women identified & treated 305
7 No.of women received counselling services 1122
8 No.of Pregnant women received ANC services 434
9 No.of Women recieved PNC services 78
10 Total Immunization Coverage 1463
11 No.of Cooking classes/demo organised 12
12 No.of target women particiapted in sessions 301
13 No.of patients received Nutrition Food supplement 717
14 No.of Hygiene sessions organised 8
15 No.of Children/people participated 270
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Story of Nisha
Nisha did not have any other option except coming to clinic oganized by Sukarya as there were no other healthcare services available aroud the Arjun Camp slum in Delhi where she lived. Sukarya’s specialized health camp helped her go trough comprehensive chekups and consultation with female Ggynaecologist at her slum locality. Her Hb test revealed that she was anemic.
Keeping in view of her health assessment, Nisha was advised to consciously take appropriate diets including Iron led foods such as fried Gram, daliya, green vegetables like Palak and use Iron vesel to cook food.
Nisha received proper antenatal checkups (ANC) and comprehensive counselling services by Nutritionist on nutritonal intake and was provided with Iron tablets and Nutrition Food supplements. In the meanwhille, she was counselled for opting institutional delivery also. The community health worker of Sukarya ensured regular follow ups and regular monitoring of Nisha on prescriptions to overcome her anemic conditioning and taking her to Government hospital for instititional birth delivery.
The efforts put in yielded positive result. Nisha delivered a baby boy at Safdarjang Hospital (Government) and again visited Sukarya’s clinic for Postnatal Care checkups (PNC) at Arjun Camp.
While visiting at Sukarya Clinic post delivery Nisha says with smile on her face, “Due to Sukarya I have received proper medical care and now my child & myself are safe and healthy”.
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STORY OF LATA
Lata, a mother of two was found to be anemic (Hb level at 7 g/dl) at a clinic organized by Sukarya. The doctor and nutritionist provided her comprehensive counseling, provided Iron, Calcium and other nutritional supplements. She was also advised to use Iron pan for cooking which would help her improve Iron deficiency. As suggested, Lata included her diet with Gram, jaggery and cooked food in a pan made of Iron on a regular basis. Her hemoglobin level improved significantly from 7 g/dl to 10 g/dl.
Lata’s mother in law had been adamant on her giving birth at home and despite several visits and consistent efforts made by Sukarya’s community health worker professing for an institutional delivery. When the unskilled birth attendant failed to get the delivery done and saw that Lata was fainted, the community health worker was called and the family had no other option than going to the government hospital. The healthcare report on Lata provided by Sukarya which had a complete history of her health checkups was very helpful to the doctors at the hospital. Lata was operated and gave birth to a healthy baby.
Lata with a smile on her face says, “I was surprised and happy to see that my child was alive and so I am, I am grateful to Sukarya”.
Quarterly update on USHA:
Number of health clinics organized - 28
Number. of patients treated - 980
Anemic women identified and treated - 269
Number of women received counseling services - 667
Number. of women received antenatal care - 391
Number of women received post natal care - 45
Number of children treated (0-6 years) - 182
Number of women (15-49 years) received services - 726
Number of children identified malnourished - 70
Number of patients referred to the hospital or other points -49
Number of follow up and home visits done by CHW. - 960
Cooking demonstration sessions conducted - 6
Total participants attended the session -110
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Institutional Delivery – Breaking Stereotypes
Rinki, 25 and pregnant, lives in Inder Camp slum near Delhi with her husband and mother in law. Since her mother in law was a midwife, they believed that it was quite safe and easy to give birth at home and there was no need of going to a hospital. They had planned that Rinki too would be attended by her mother in law at home. The community health worker from Sukarya had already made consistent efforts to bring her to the health Clinic organized by Sukarya. She was detected with anemia and was found to be underweight. It was her first conception and therefore the physician and the counselor advised her to get the regular checkups done at the clinic and motivated her for the institutional birth. It was extremely difficult to convince Rinki as the family was guided by the mother-in-law. Her husband was also called in to the clinic for the counseling. The team reiterated him to plan for the institutional delivery of their first child as Rinki was anemic and underweight too. The doctors warned them about potential complications that might arise of giving birth at home. A regular follow up through home visits and bringing the woman to health clinics succeeded the efforts and finally the family agreed to go to the Safdargunj hospital for the institutional delivery.
Rinki, with smile on her face says, “due to consistent efforts and comprehensive counseling of Sukarya, I was able to receive proper medical care and SAFE birth at the hospital – now me and my baby are safe”.
Quarterly Report (March - May 2018)
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