NAVACHAR SANSTHAN

The Government of India initiated National Rural Health Mission on April 5, 2005, in 18 States of India. The major aims include: increase community participation for bringing out a decline in child and maternal mortality in rural areas; provide quality health services to the poor women and children; increase access of quality services to the community; build relations between the community and health service providers so monitoring work may be handed over to the community with a view to achieve earmarked targets.

In October 2007, community health monitoring programme was initiated in four districts of Rajasthan – Chittorgarh, Alwar, Jodhpur and Udaipur – on an experimental basis. The organisation initiated this programme in 15 villages of Kapasan development block. Village health and cleanliness committees were constituted in these 15 villages and imparted training from time to time. Meetings were organised every month on regular basis. The people have been given information about state of health services, 100 per cent immunisation, anganwadi centre related programmes, cleanliness vigilance, health programme awareness and various government schemes for rural areas.

The organisation in collaboration with Mewar Jan Adhikar Manch has held public dialogue for solving health related problems of the people. Members of village health and cleanliness committee, forum members, organisation’s workers, anganwadi workers, asha, ANMs, doctors, etc., attended these dialogues. People narrated their problems like incomplete immunisation, charging of fee by doctors in Janani Suraksha Yojana, irregularity of ANM, non-provision of free medicines to BPL families, etc. Efforts were made to solve these problems and certain problems which could not be solved at local and district levels were raised in the state assembly.

This programme continued for two years and targets were seen completing. Cent per cent immunisation has been achieved, 90 per cent deliveries have started taking in hospital under Janani Suraksha Yojana, BPL families have started getting free medicines and medicines used during deliveries are also available free of cost. The practice of fee being charged by doctors during deliveries has also declined. Now these efforts are continuing in collaboration with the community.