HEALTH
Vaccination Drive at Kalinga Eye Hospital
Kalinga Eye Hospital was selected as one of the vaccine provider institutions for Dhenkanal district. In the month of March 2021, Kalinga Eye Hospital (a unit of NYSASDRI, and listed by the Government as a private service provider institution) rendered COVID vaccines to433 people above the age of 60.
COVID Care Centre
In accordance with current guidelines, every COVID Care Centre must have a dedicated basic life support. Currently, a COVID Care Centre is being operated on the NYSASDRI campus in Govindpur, Dhenkanal. The Centre is working on the most effective way to fight the pandemic. Among the merits of the Centre is the fact that most of the people affected by COVID are getting immediate and effective services, regardless of age. Further, the clean, hygienic, and peaceful environment of the campus is helping to reduce the threat of the pandemic. Most of all, the dedication of the COVID staff is truly marvellous, as is the focus on counselling and positive affirmation for the patients. These dedicated efforts are the main reason for the reduction in COVID-19 cases within a short period of time.
Comprehensive Eye Care
NYSASDRI's efforts in eye care services have resulted in a functional and methodical system of eye care delivery in central Odisha. The Kalinga Eye Hospital (KEH) is a unit of NYSASDRI, established in 2002.KEH is a comprehensive eye hospital that is committed to changing the current state of eye care in the underserved region of central Odisha. KEH provides a wide range of services, from basic visual assessments to ophthalmic surgery, geared towards serving all members of the community. Currently, there are two service streams: free and paid. Free services are made available for patients at their doorsteps through outreach approaches. Paid services are provided to individuals with sufficient funds to cover the cost of their own eye care, and prices are scaled according to monthly income. Both streams have access to the same high standard of care, techniques, and technology. To reach its goals in providing eye care for rural villages around Odisha, KEH conducts community outreach camps that provide preventative eye care to individuals living in rural areas, while also identifying candidates for cataract surgery. These candidates are then transported to the base hospital for sight-restoring surgery, easing patient worries that they are not strong enough or wealthy enough to travel to medical care. KEH has developed innovative methods to lower the cost of treatment to provide the most affordable care to its patients. NYSASDRI staff also trains schoolteachers and Angawadi workers to screen schoolchildren for eye problems, and to educate their communities on the fact that care is available for these eye problems. In the last six years, KEH has completed more than 50,000 surgeries, screened more than 700,000 outpatients, distributed 3,600 pairs of glasses, and trained 915 schoolteachers and 1,861 Anganwadi workers, and trained 100 doctors. For more details, visit www.kalingaeyehospital.org.
Vision Centre
Presently, primary eye care is being provided by Kalinga Eye Hospital through the six vision centres located in different areas within Angul and Dhenkanal districts. Three of the vision centres are attached to Government Community Health Centres, while the remaining three vision centres are run independently in Athamalik , Khajuriakata and Kamakshyanagar . The three vision centres that are aligned with Government CHCs are in Gondia, Bhuban, and Rajkishore Nagar. All of these centres have provided excellent service during the COVID-19 crisis. Each of the vision technicians and health workers worked in the Outpatient Department (OPD), risking their lives to serve their patients.
Health Awareness through the Meickirch Model (An Innovative Health Approach)
According to the Meikirch model, health is a "complex adaptive system". The Meikirch model of health consists of five components: demands of life, biologically-given potential, personally-acquired potential, social determinants of health, and environmental determinants of health. The first component (demands of life)is based on the idea that each human has to fulfil the biological, psychosocial, and environmental demands that life brings them. The biological demands include access to clean water; adequate nutrition; appropriate hygiene; and protection from cold, wetness, and natural catastrophes. The second component (biologically-given potential) is a gift of nature, along with our responsibility to take good care of that gift through balanced nutrition; hygiene; vaccinations; life-long learning; appropriate physical activity; a healthy lifestyle; and avoidance of smoking, alcohol, and drugs. The third component (personally-acquired potential) is promoted when a person pursues a purpose in life, cultivates positive feelings, practices meditation, seeks spirituality, etc. The fourth component (social determinants) includes good human relationships and the ability to avoid anxiety, greed, and abuse of power. Finally, the fifth component (environmental determinants) articulates the fact that environmental protection is essential for health. These five components interact with each other; when they cooperate in a purposeful way, the result is good health. During the year, NYSASDRI demonstrated the Meikrich Model approach in different villages through village meetings. The concept was also shared among the participants of different capacity-building trainings through NYSASDRI.NYSASDRI team members shared this model with participants of diverse backgrounds through various conferences and workshops .The team emphasized the similarities between the Meikrich Model and Swachha Bharat Abhijana, clean India Movement of Govt of India pleaded the community for personal hygiene, hand washing, cleanliness of surroundings, use of shoes, mosquito nets and ban of polythene/plastic materials. Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials were also distributed for better sensitization. It was observed that in the aftermath of the Fani cyclone, people faced disruptions in various services and commodities, including electricity, telephone, mobile phone tower, drinking water supply, road communication, and availability of essential food stuffs for several days. Being fully dependent upon man-made facilities, communities were unable to adjust in the post-disaster period. Thus, coastal area communities were sensitized to enhance their acquired potentiality to manage such type of situation.
Public Private Partnership and Management of Primary Health Centres (PHC)
For the first time, Odisha's Primary Health Centres were transferred from the Government to NYSASDRI, following extensive negotiations. After continuous advocacy at the state level, in August/September 2005, the Minister of Health announced the government's trial of transferring primary health centres to NYSASDRI. The MoU was signed by the District Collector, Jajpur, Chief District Medical Officer; In-charge Community health Centre, Sukinda & Director NYSASDRI for PHC (N) Atta was done on October 28, 2005 in Jajpur. However the process of signing the MoU in Dhenkanal was more complex. On November 16, 2005, the District Collector and Chief District Medical Officer wanted certain alterations to the text of the agreement; these alterations had to be validated by the state NGO coordinator. Following a series of reminders to the CDMO, the MoU signing took place on January 1, 2006. A series of activities like renovation of infrastructure, appointed trained adequate personnel, regularise the patient treatment with institutional delivery, provided need based capacity building training, formation and strengthen of Rogi Kalyan Samiti etc were undertaken after receiving the signed MoU from both the districts of Jajpur and Dhenkanal.
Community Empowerment & Advocacy for Sustainable Health Care for People in Extreme Need in Odisha
The project titled "Community Empowerment & Advocacy for Sustainable Health Care for People in Extreme Need in Odisha" (CEASH) was implemented by NYSASDRI in the Gondia Block of Dhenkanal and in the Sukinda Block of Jajpur, District of Odisha. The project is operative in 19 Gram Panchayats and covers a population of about 100,000 people. Started in September 2004.. The project aims to empower the poorest communities and increase the effectiveness of the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the civil society, thereby reducing poverty. Another goal of the project is to improve the health practices of underserved communities. The project focuses on six major components: community empowerment, strengthening of PRIs, increasing health service accessibility through primary health centres (PHC), education, advocacy for health sector reform, and capacity building of the civil society organizations.
1. Community Empowerment
Under the auspices of the CEASH project, community groups have been formed and strengthened in the target villages. At present, 150 all-female self-help groups (containing a total of 1,781 people) are working to improve the health and sanitation of their communities. They are also working to create income-generating activities. The self-help group (SHG) members have raised Rs.29,80,871/-. The SHG members have also received a loan for Rs. 3,000,000/-, so that they will have the capital to start their own businesses.
The improvements in both financial status and living status are startling results within the all-women groups, and it has been a regular practice among group members to recycle the amount at crisis periods. Today, they are maintaining their own records, cooperating with government officials, and managing their bank linkage without any external support. Clearly, the income-generating activities that the SHGs have taken part in are improving the members' quality of life.
CEASH has also worked to raise awareness among community members regarding health practices, government involvement in the health sector, and the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act NREGA. The group members are making an individual effort to send their children to school more frequently, and are also teaching illiterate women to read. Further, they participate in Palli Sabha and Gram Sabha, learning about sexual and reproductive health care SRH and HIV/AIDS. The SHG members are learning about health practices, issues, and services such as hand-washing, water-borne disease, breastfeeding, and the role of Gram Panchayat. The group members are not only working to educate themselves, but also to educate their communities.
65 all-male self-help groups are participating in developmental work, such as monitoring government projects and facilities in the GP (Gram Panchayat)in addition to monitoring health and education institutions like Anganwadi Centres AWCs and schools. The groups have also been focusing on the protection of the village forests, and are working against deforestation.
Kishori Clubs are groups of adolescent girls who work in the same way that the self-help groups do. 81 Kishori clubs have been mobilizing the community by advocating for marriage at the appropriate age, maintenance of menstrual hygiene, for prevention of STI/RTI. The Kishori Clubs have been able to prevent four instances in which early marriage was imminent, namely in the Baidakateni, Chhotatentuli, and Gomharia villages. The adolescent girls have also taken an active role in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns through rallies and meetings with villagers. As a result, they are able to dispel myths and social taboos related to HIV/AIDS. The Kishori Clubs are working to gain the support of the panchayat and the block administration to provide support to the affected families.
2. Emergency Obstetric Contingency Committee (EOCC) Merged in GaonKalyan Samiti (GKS)
Out of the 66 (26 in Sukinda Block and 40 in Gondia Block) Emergency Obstetric Contingency Committees (EOCC) which had been formed earlier within this project, 48 are now subsumed into Gaon Kalyana Samitis (GKS). The other Committees have been formed per the norms of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Out of these, 7 Gaon Kalyana Samitis have opened accounts at State Bank of India (SBI), Sadangi.
3. Strengthening Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIS)
A monthly Gram Panchayat Health Committee (GPHC) meeting has been established by the PRI members. These meetings cover issues such as the regularization of the integrated child Development Scheme (ICDS), delivery of children in hospital facilities (institutional deliveries), malaria prevention, and safe drinking water. The PRI members have not only discussed these health issues themselves, but have also participated proactively in the implementation and monitoring of health service delivery in their areas.
4. Service Delivery through Primary Health Centre (PHC)
Primary Health Centres, supported through a partnership with the government and other stakeholders, have been running in Atta of Jajpur and Khankira of Dhenkanal District since January 2006 and February 2006, respectively. Outreach camps in remote and inaccessible areas have helped to meet the health care needs of the disadvantaged and poor. Regular outreach services and the initiation of institutional deliveries at the PHC level have contributed to an increase in the confidence level of the beneficiaries, as they now have basic health care within their reach. Further, the 24-hour service provided through the PHCs has increased the patient inflow. Health camps also create a wider patient base by covering villages that PHCs previously could not cover. We have also displayed IEC materials in these villages, which helps to raise awareness about immunization, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, STDs, and RTIs among the villagers. After regular negotiations with government authorities, we have successfully earned the authority to construct a new PHC building at Khankira. This building consists of a doctor's room, a dispensing room, a 5-bed ward, and a labor room with an attached bathroom.
5. Learning and Knowledge Dissemination
A state wide workshop ("Workshop on PPP in PHC management - A Way Forward") was organized at the May Fair Lagoon Hotel on February 13-14, 2009. Academics, researchers, politicians, representatives of the NRHM/Odisha , RRC, media, PRI, and NGOs who were involved in PHC management participated. In this 2-day deliberation, different stakeholders shared their experiences and made suggestions to finalize the draft of the PPP policy developed by the NRHM.
A workshop on the prospects and constraints of public private partnerships in the field of primary health care was held on October 16, 2008 at the Jajpur town hall of the Jajpur District. 55 participants, including the media, PRI representatives, CSO members, government officials, NGO representatives, and other health-related professionals participated. This workshop reflected on the effectiveness of PPP interventions and challenges by PHCs towards the health care of the poor, marginalized, and disadvantaged people of rural Odisha.
6. Advocacy for Health Sector Reform
After continuous lobbying with various state-, district-, and local-level officials, NYSASDRI has signed a revised MoU with the state while still waiting for approval from the district office. A new Auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) has been appointed at the Khankira PHC (N) and an Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) doctor at the PHC (N), Atta. A new building, an open well, and a labor room have been constructed at the Khankira PHC (N) under the support of the RKS funds.
6. Staff Capacity-Building
The capacity-building of the staff has been accelerated through various training programs. These includes "Gender for OD, SRH & R", "MCH", "Strategy Planning", "Orientation of Log Frame and Filling", "Documentation and Record Keeping", "Rights and Advocacy", "BCC", "CBO and Male Group Management", "NRHM and NREGA", and "Public Health Sector Reform Process". As a result, the staff members have acquired expertise on ten key areas of the project, and are able to educate other community members.
 
 
 
 
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