Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

Location : Gusbethi, Deepalaya Gram
Address : Deepalaya Gram, Gusbethi, Tavru, Haryana

Contact no. : 91 - 95 - 1267 201491
Email : support@deepalaya.org

Coordinator : Coordinator – Health Project

Commenced From : 2005
Funding Agency : Dewan Foundation

Beneficiary Number : 2913 (during the period of Sept. 2006 to Feb. 2007)

BRIEF PROFILE
The WHO’s world health report 2006 reveals that the world community has sufficient financial resources and technologies to tackle most of the health challenges; yet today many national health systems are weak, unresponsive, unbalanced – even precarious. What is desirable now is political will to implement national plans, together with international support to align and build robust health systems for treating and preventing disease and promoting population health.
The same report says 50% of all child deaths occur in just six countries – India, Pakistan, China, Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Maternal mortality rates (MMR) exceed 400 per 100,000 live births in 10 out of 15 major states in India. The biggest challenge is to provide health services at a reasonable cost. As India races towards superpower status, its children are struggling to keep up with every second children less than five years is malnourished. According to National Family Health Survey 2005-2006, the all- India average for malnourished children is 47%.
The extent of access to and utilization of health care varied significantly between states, districts and different segments of society; this to a great extent, is responsible for substantial differences between states in health indices of the population. Deepalaya initiated the Chameli Dewan Rural Health Clinic and Mobile Unit under this backdrop with support from the Dewan Foundation for providing health services to the rural poor of Mewat region in Haryana.

Identifying the need for intervention:
The region is located 60 km from Delhi, nearly 35 km from Gurgaon, which is a developing metropolitan city. It is, for the most part, rural with a population of 8, 00,000 with nearly 500 villages dominated by Meo-Muslims (Converted Hindus). Following findings were found after surveying the area:

• Immunization of children very low with large number of children affected by poliomyelitis.
• Diarrhea amongst children very high and the villagers are ignorant about its means of prevention.
• Infant and childhood death common due to pneumonia.
• Awareness of antenatal care very low and routine checkup negligible.
• Access to public sector services is limited as well as there is lacking of female providers.
• Adolescent young people at the threshold of marriage and adulthood have no life education as any topic related to sex and sexuality is a taboo.
• Poverty and superstitious beliefs also indirectly plays an underlying factor behind other factors cause of diseases.
• Social and religious issues act as constraints for females to access reproductive health services.

Other Projects involved:

• Deepalaya is involved with the formation of Self-Help Groups comprising women covering nearly 150 villages of the region to improve their financial status by setting up micro enterprises through micro finance, using savings and loans from banks. Training and awareness are also held for the womenfolk in leadership, community development, vocational skills and literacy.
• Deepalaya has established Deepalaya Gram with a School, Vocational Training Institute and a well furnished Transit Home (Hostels) for working and street children of Delhi.

About the Project
The Chameli Dewan Rural Health Clinic and Mobile Unit was established in 2005 in collaboration with St. Stephen’s Hospital, Delhi to bring about long-term changes in health which would help in development and capacity building of the community. St. Stephen’s Hospital provides the necessary technical/professional inputs in running the community outreach programme. Doctors, Training programmes as well as Participatory planning exercises are provided by St. Stephen Hospital.

Mobile Health Unit

Deepalaya’s goal in initiating the project was to offer better accessibility in health care in Mewat region. At present we are able to provide health services to 14 villages i.e. Pipaka, Tavru, Rehari, Shikarpur, Chahlaka, Soondh, Sabras, Bissar, Dhidhara, Bhango, Nizampur and Jaurasi and a cluster of villages surrounding the out patient clinic viz. Gusbethi, Kirori, Patuka, and Bhutlaka through our clinic and mobile unit.

About the Region
The area is pre-dominantly composed of Meo Muslims i.e. converted Muslims who depend largely in farming for livelihood. As agriculture cannot sustain everybody some work in stone quarries, some drive trucks, and other vehicles to transport goods and humans. Migration is very limited as any outside influence is, eyed suspiciously. Thus it is a very common sight to see young men unemployed and women trying to scrape together a living.
In most of the villages the would be mothers are primis i.e. teen mothers and the nearest hospital to provide institutional delivery is at Tavru where in event of a caesarean the Surgeon has to be called from elsewhere. Almost all deliveries are conducted at home by local old woman.
After parturition the baby is not given the colostrums but the newborn is given ‘Desi ghuti’ (local medicine) believing that it would help in digestion. This practice is not advisable by medical terms. Postnatal women are given jaggery syrup for 2-3 days instead of any solid food, assuming that she will not be able to tolerate food. This leads to the vicious cycle of lack of mother’s milk, lack of hygiene, gastroenteritis and malnutrition. The average children borne by mothers here are eight to ten. Women are keen to use methods of spacing, but have to face considerable opposition for the same.

Nature of Health Services Offered:
Clinical Check-Up
The clinic and mobile unit operates from 9.30 - 17.30 hrs for 5days a week. Two lady doctors are deputed for the clinical checkups. One lady doctor is available for all the days while the other is available for 3 days a week. The mobile van follows a schedule to visit the villages. The doctor, a pharmacist, Nurse goes with the mobile unit to the village that has been schedule for the day.

Medical Team

The Registration Process
The beneficiaries are charged nominal fee for health check -up. New patients are charged Rs. 5 at the time of registration and in the succeeding visits they are charged Rs.2. Medicines are provided with 50 % discount of the exact cost. The clinic also provides few medicines, which are necessary at the time of pre-natal and postnatal care free of cost.

Status of Patients Visiting the Clinic and Mobile Clinic

From October to February, the Clinic treated 2913 Patients with the majority of 2078 females, in contrast to only 835 men as shown the table above. 284 Children from the Deepalaya School at Deepalaya Gram and 227 Children from the Transit Home were treated as well. Many patients were referred to other medical institutions.

A dental health camp

Awareness Programmes by the health team
To create and raise health awareness in this area, health workers, doctors and volunteers hold regular community meetings with the villagers. In the meetings the health team discusses about the prevailing health problems. Other topics are like having nutritious food, hygiene and vitamins. An important topic is always the precautions woman should take within a pregnancy to ensure the health of the baby.
In a poor area, where many of the children are malnourished, it is important that the clinic has a Malnutrition program. The doctors took weight and height of several children of the villages. The health team guided the parents which had undernourished children and demonstrated some remedies. After the intervention of Deepalaya the children showed great improvement in their appearance and in general health.
Deepalaya’s health staff is trained at regular intervals to enhance their knowledge and their skills. In doing so, Deepalaya is ensuring a good health care and a well trained health team. Besides the training, new A.N.M. and health worker joined the team to deal with the growing number of patients caused by the higher acceptance within the villages.
Now more and more villagers are medicated by the mobile clinic, because these villagers saw how good the treatment of the Chameli Dewan Rural Health Clinic and Mobile Unit was in the past. Even former skeptical patients from Muslim villages adopted the methods of family planning, the doctors offered.

A health camp

The health team in regular intervals organizes health camps, awareness campaign in the villages. Within these camps better nutrition, hygiene and illness and disease prevention is teached. The Clinic is providing health service to the Deepalaya Gram in Gusbethi. The doctors regularly examine the health of the children. The health team tests eyesight by using eye charts and takes the weight and the nutritious status of the children.

Referral System
In creating an effective local referral system, Deepalaya is working close together with the doctors at PHC-Tavru, GH-Sohna and Mandikhera and the medical institutions within this area. The referral system includes patients for sputum tests, X-rays and treatment for Tuberculosis, Hansen’s disease and ophthalmic examination. Deepalaya is trying to get in touch with more institutions in this area, to offer the best medical treatment as possible.

VISION OF THE PROJECT
Through the Chameli Dewan Mobile Health Clinic, Deepalaya aims to provide quality health services to the unserved at affordable costs in Mewat region. The Clinic is also an important part of the Deepalaya Gram as it offers good health care to the children.

FUTURE PLANS

• Expansion of the Clinic to provide better health service
• Campaign for Awareness Programmes and organize more health camps
• Reaching out to larger population of Mewat Region

HOW CAN YOU HELP
Deepalaya as a Non- Governmental organization always welcomes help from individuals, groups or corporates to make a difference in the lives of the marginalized section of the society. You can enable and support us in our effort by

• Giving your time by volunteering at our clinic and during the medical camps as a medical practitioner, attendant or in any other capacities.
• Donate to Deepalaya so that the clinic can employ more health workers and organize more health camps or workshops
• Sponsoring and organizing of special camps, awareness campaigns, etc.
• Lending your support as counselors