Urban Slum Health Action (USHA) Project

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

Links:

• website of Sukarya
• facebook page of Sukarya
• Tweeter handle of Sukarya

                                                     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)

1.  No. of health clinics organized - 27
2.  No. of patients treated - 1147
3.  Anemic women identified and treated - 318
4. No. of women received counseling services - 763
5. No. of women received post natal care - 171
6. 0-6 years children treated - 422
7. No. of women 15-49 years received services -717
8. No. of children identified malnourished - 218
9. Mother and child health day organized - 8
10. No. of patients referred to the hospital or other point - 15
11. No. of follow up and home visits done by CHW.- 1235

Links:

• website of Sukarya
• facebook page of Sukarya
• Tweeter handle of Sukarya