The platform of Jan Samwads (Public Dialogues) is an important mechanism to seek community feedback on health services and redress grievances under the National Health Mission (NHM). These events are usually organised bi-annually at the Primary Health Center (PHC), block and districts levels.

As the state’s COVID-19 tally increases rapidly with more number of asymptomatic cases, the Government of Assam decided to conduct Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) to quickly identify the persons with COVID-19 infections

Champawat region in the state of Uttarakhand is one of most difficult topographies in India. In many villages, communities have to walk/ tread through the mountainous routes to reach the paved roads. This creates immense challenges especially during health emergencies.

In the first phase, we undertook house to house survey in the village. Now in the second phase, we are doing thermal screening of family members and the persons who have high temperature are referred to city hospital for health check-ups. Urban Health and Nutrition Days (UHNDs) and immunization were suspended after lockdown, which have been restarted since May 2, 2020.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Mysuru has converted a bus in to a Mobile Fever Clinic Bus for screening the people of rural Mysuru. Facilities provided in the bus include a bed, seating facility, medicine box, washing basin, sanitizers, liquid soap oil, water facility, fan and other required arrangements. The cost for a mobile clinic is Rs 50,000/-. Besides, some old buses have also been converted into ‘Mobile Sanitizers’ to fumigate the field workers combating for Covid 19. The medical team inspected the bus and certified for screening the patients on the move which is the first everRead More…

Members of Mahila Arogya Samities (MASs) have come forward to support the community during Covid 19 crisis. One among these was the initiative to distribute face masks to slum dwellers free of cost who cannot afford to buy masks. MAS members of 4 cities: Cuttack, Berhampur, Koraput and Bhubaneswar in Odisha have stitched face masks and distributed to the needy people in their slums. MAS members have purchased clothes for masks from three sources: (i) untied funds, (ii) award money by the state NUHM on the best performing MAS based on their previous year work, and (iii) personal contributions. ConsideringRead More…

Ms Zarina Biwi, President of Dharitri Mahila Arogya Samiti (DMAS), Jeypore, Koraput said, “Despite repeated requests from the district administration and police not to step out from the houses during the lock down, some people are violating the rules. They not only put their lives at risk, but create problems for others. We hence, decided to guard the streets of ward number 22 to restrict the movement of the people. > A group of women from DMAS came forward to keep people at home when people are flouting lockdown rules and not maintaining social distances. Armed with lathis, they wereRead More…

Chemnad is the biggest panchayat in Kasargod district of Kerala covering a population of 65,000. On April 25, 2020, a team of health workers of Chemnad Primary Health Centre visited the neighbouring village, Chembirrika after a woman was diagnosed with COVID-19. They immediately shifted the woman to the district general hospital in Kasargod and the remaining three members of her family to another testing centre. A nine-member family with a five-month old baby in the neighbouring household was in apprehension due to the death of a same age COVID infected baby in Kerala. The team consoled the family not toRead More…

I have been going for a household survey for the last one month, and I consolidate the report and send to my officers regularly. I gather information on the people who are coming from outside states and motivate them to go for health checkups at the primary health centers,” Said ASHA Sahiyogini in Chhepabarood village, Baran district, Rajasthan. The work of an ASHA Sahiyogini as a real corona warrior, has been commendable. She takes pride in serving the community to fight against the Corona virus in addition to her routine work such as child health, maternal health and family planning.Read More…

Ms Annalata Jamatia joined as ASHA in January 2008 in Malbasa AWC (A), Purba Malbasa ADC village in Tripura. When Covid crisis hits India, Annalata and her co-workers collected information about Covid through TV news channels and YouTube videos as they had very little knowledge on Covid. Subsequently, a series of meetings were organised by VHSNCs and the Community Leader, Para Chowdhury to take decisions on the steps to be taken by the villagers to combat against Covid. Volunteers were selected to monitor the entire process. Post meeting, Annalatha along with other ASHAs and 4 AWCs took the responsibility ofRead More…

Funds were sanctioned for the construction of an Additional Primary Health Centre (A-PHC) at Bithauli, Block Baheri in District Darbhanga and the facility was to be made functional by early 2015.

Despite institutional deliveries are increased at 80.1 percentage, and out of which 70 percentage deliveries are taking place in public health facilities, there is a persistence of home deliveries across the states. There is evidence that many home deliveries are not conducted by skilled birth attendants particularly in underserved areas, and among the marginalized.

Wapung Pamra PHC of Khliehriat block in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya is one of the biggest PHCs in Meghalaya covering a population of 30,770. However, it was not been able to function as a 24×7 PHC due to non-availability of potable water.

The Mitanin or the community health worker programme was launched in Chhattisgarh in 2002. Mitanins form one of the crucial components of many of the state’s health programmes. Since the advent of the National Rural Health Mission, Mitanins are paid incentives for several health related tasks that they perform at the community level. In the past, these incentives were paid through the health system.

The Society for People’s Action for Development (SPAD) is a partner NGO that has been working with the Maternity Home Monitoring Committees (MHMC) set up by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) in Bengaluru.

The Community Based Planning and Monitoring (CBPM) programme in Bihar has made specific efforts to include marginalized communities in the process.

The community monitoring programme is being implemented in Maharashtra since 2007. There is now the realization that with increased awareness on rights, there is a need for a grievance redressal mechanism to look into and resolve public grievances.

While Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) plan community level solutions at the panchayat level, the experience in Tamil Nadu shows that very often issues that are common to several panchayats or require solutions at the block and district levels.

One of the first issues taken up by the Community Development Committee of Mujhmahuda basti, in Vadodara, Gujarat was that of corruption in the Public Distribution System (PDS) shop.

Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) have been formed at various levels of health facilities under the NRHM to ensure the local community’s participation in the management of these facilities. An untied fund is also provided annually to these samitis to be used for improvement of these facilities. In Bihar, while these samitis have been formed in facilities, they did not meet regularly earlier, and very often the local community was not aware of how the funds allotted were being spent. Under the Community Based Planning and Monitoring programme, district and block level NGOs have made special efforts to activate these samitis.Read More…

The Kavi Dayaram school in Mujhmahuda basti in Vadodara is more than 40-years old.