Health
Health Intervention
In the present scenario health issues are one of the important aspects of every society especially rural areas. Promoting health awareness and organizing various health camps are one the primary aims of our organization.However the health systems available in Kanyakumari district consist of Traditional, Allopathic, Ayurveda, Sidha and Homeopathic. During the recent years, the private practitioners in the district have commercialized the health systems by which the cost of treatment is increased very high and unaffordable to many. As a result of that the majority of the economically backward people have no access to the private hospitals.
Role of GVST in Access to Health Care
Total Sanitation Campaign , From 2002 to 2005, (District Rural Development Agency)
The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) implemented the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) program in Kanyakumari district. GVST was the implementing partner of DRDA. GVST identified individual households without sanitary toilets and constructed more than 23,000 with contribution from DRDA and people’s participation.
The Central government has declared the coastal Kanyakumari district as ``Totally Sanitized District’’ for the period 2002 to 2005. This was achieved not only because of the initiatives by the state government, but also due to the efforts taken by a large number of women who are part of the SHG network of GVST. Under the aegis of `Total Sanitation Campaign’’ the GVST through its SHG members had carried out many programmes to create awareness on sanitation and hygiene. GVST held various awareness camps on epidemic diseases across the district as in earlier days people in the villages used to defecate in the open. Pamphlets were issued door to door, organised rallies and held sensitization measures in rural areas to bring about the change in the perception of villagers on sanitation and hygiene.
- Temporary Drinking Water Supply to Simon Colony (supported by CARE India)
- Repair and Maintenance of Community toilets at KOTTILPADU, COLACHEL (supported by CARE India)
- Construction of Community Toilets at Colachel (supported by CARE India)
- Provision of Permanent Water Supply – Over Head Tank and Pipeline to Simon Colony (Supported by CARE India)
- Construction of Mini Water Supply at two places in Colachel (supported by CARE India)
- Provided Water & Sanitation facilities for schools at Midalam (supported by CARE India)
Tamil Nadu Health System Project – Establishment and Maintenance of Counselling Centre (in the Secondary Care Hospital) at Govt. Hospital, ARUMANAI. From November 2006 to November 2008 , (supported by TNHSP)
GVST through the Health Department of Government of Tamil Nadu (TNHSP) has established two patient counselling centres in Kanyakumari District under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project and maintains them. The counsellors appointed by GVST under this project in the Government Hospitals Arumanai and Kuzhithurai play a vital role in the hospital setting by helping patients and families by assessing the psychological impact of the illness on individuals and the family members and facilitating patients with counselling and guidance. Specific roles of the counsellors includes,
- Pre-admission counselling.
- Psycho social care through detailed case history taking and work up.
- Individual and group intervention.
- Pre-discharge counselling.
- Guidance on health care.
Tamil Nadu Health System Project – Establishment of Medical Emergency and Referral Control Room (ECR) – at Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District. From November 2006 to November 2008 , (supported by TNHSP)
In order to expand access to health care to the poor and needy Good Vision through Government of Tamil Nadu has established a Medical Emergency and Referral Control Room in Kanyakumari District under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project with a 24 hours common referral helpline in the district headquarters to coordinate the movement of ambulances to provide referral support, blood bank information services and mortuary van services. The Government of Tamil Nadu has already given 9 ambulances to various NGOs in all the 9 Blocks of Kanyakumari District. Through this project Good Vision facilitates emergency care referral, transport and management in this district. This central Medical Emergency Referral Control Room has a common helpline telephone number 1056 for use by the public. This effectively functioning referral system is not only reducing the maternal and infant mortality but also helps morbidity and reduce unnecessary financial burden for the poor and also their anxiety and tension during emergencies.
During this year, the Medical Emergency and Referral Control Room with the help of Good Vision has received a lot of calls for emergency transportation to provide assistance to people who have been in emergency situations. Good Vision provided assistance for the same in Kanyakumari District during this year as follows: for Obstetrics, Paediatrics, Road Accidents, Cardiac, Stroke, Poisoning, Other medical emergencies, Mortuary van. Now the same project is run by the Government as 108 Ambulance Service.
Mobile Dispensary, in 2006, (supported by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)
Mother and Child Care: Focuses on maternal and child health, a key HDI indicator.
The women were also sensitized on mother and childcare. Utilising modern health care facilities like use of contraceptives, summoning ambulances in case of emergencies, making use of medical insurances provided by the state government as well as private health care companies and awareness about dubious medical practices done in the name of traditional medicine are some of the visible results of awareness programmes by GVST in the district.
Alternate Health Care: Promotes health access and expands options beyond traditional health care systems.
Good Vision through the Health Department of Government of Tamil Nadu has established two patient counseling centers in Kanyakumari District under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project and maintains them. The counselors appointed by Good Vision under this project in the Government Hospitals Arumanai and Kuzhithurai play a vital role in the hospital setting by helping patients and families by assessing the psychological impact of the illness on individuals and the family members and facilitating patients with counseling and guidance.
Specific roles of the counselors are,
- Pre-admission counseling.
- Psycho social care through detailed case history taking and work up.
- Individual and group intervention.
- Pre-discharge counseling.
- Guidance on health care.
In order to expand access to health care to the poor and needy Good Vision through Government of Tamil Nadu has established a Medical Emergency and Referral Control Room in Kanyakumari District under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project with a 24 hours common referral helpline in the district headquarters to coordinate the movement of ambulances to provide referral support, blood bank information services and mortuary van services. The Government of Tamil Nadu has already given 9 ambulances to various NGOs in all the 9 Blocks of Kanyakumari District. Through this project Good Vision facilitates emergency care referral, transport and management in this district. This central Medical Emergency Referral Control Room has a common helpline telephone number 1056 for use by the public. This effectively functioning referral system is not only reducing the maternal and infant mortality but also helps morbidity and reduce unnecessary financial burden for the poor and also their anxiety and tension during emergencies.
During this year, the Medical Emergency and Referral Control Room with the help of Good Vision has received a lot of calls for emergency transportation to provide assistance to people who have been in emergency situations. Good Vision provided assistance for the same in Kanyakumari District during this year as follows
The contribution of GVST and SHG members in creating awareness on sanitation and hygiene does not end there. There was heightened awareness on better health practices among villagers. This awareness resulted in building of around 50,000 toilets across the district by various NGOs.
The state government managed to achieve 100 per cent as far as immunisation, vaccination including pulse polio and administration of preventive medicine for diseases like Chikungunya and Dengue in the district. This made possible because of the immense contribution and efforts of GVST in assisting the state government machinery. Personal health and hygiene practices were regularly advocated to the women during SHG meetings, like keeping their nails clean, taking bath every day and wearing clean clothes.
In the present scenario health issues are one of the important aspects of every society especially rural areas. Promoting health awareness and organizing various health camps are one the primary aims of our organization.However the health systems available in Kanyakumari district consist of Traditional, Allopathic, Ayurveda, Sidha and Homeopathic. During the recent years, the private practitioners in the district have commercialized the health systems by which the cost of treatment is increased very high and unaffordable to many. As a result of that the majority of the economically backward people have no access to the private hospitals.
Poor, coastal people suffer from acute health hazards for ages. This is reflected in the high IMR and MMR in the area. This trend is an outcome of their poverty, low social status, lack of awareness, lack of access to health care. Good Vision Seva Trust has laid stress on awareness creation among people, especially among the mothers about preventive and curative health care, improved personal hygiene and sanitation. We periodically supply Vitamins to the malnourished children and women with the help of an International NGO, the Vitamin Angels. We organize health camps with the support of specialized health care providers.
Whenever there is a spread of seasonal or epidemic diseases and during the times of natural calamities, GVST conduct regular Health Camps such as General Health Camp, Eye Camp, Homeopathy Health Camp, Dengue Prevention Camp, and Chikungunya Prevention Camp.
Health Awareness Programs
Thousands of women in SHGs participated in many awareness campaigns against the use of plastics in Kanyakumari district and it was a huge success.
Trainings on Health Awareness Programs were provided to thousands of women SHG members every now and then. Especially, GVST organizes for Eye Camps and Homeopathy Health Camps every year since March 2003 without fail.
Supplying Vitamins to Children
The children from poor sectors of the society suffer malnutrition. Due to the low social status of those people, children were not fed with proper diet, which in turn causes vitamin deficiency disease. This will affect the future of those children. In order to control these problems and to control blindness, Good Vision supplies Vitamin A Tablets and Albendazole Tablets to the poor infants and children of Kanyakumari district. These tablets were supplied at free of cost for the benefits of the people. Good Vision is getting these tablets from Vitamin Angels. During this year, thousands of infants and children are benefited out of these vitamins supply.
Homeopathy Health Sub-Centres
We are running two Homeopathy health sub-centres in collaboration with Sarada Krishna Homoeopathic Medical College. Eminent doctors provide medical check-up and medicines with a nominal charge of fifteen rupees per patient per week. More than two hundred patients are getting benefitted each week. Most patients come from the lower strata of life. All our SHGs are made aware of the medical facility available and they refer patients especially who are poor and neglected. The people are very happy that they get good medical care for a nominal fee and also medicine which has no side effects.
Palliative Care ( 26th August 2019)
Good Vision Seva Trust conducted the first round of Palliative Care training on 26th August 2019 at the Mother Anna Care Centre in Kulasekaram. During this session, volunteers from the Kanyakumari District Panchayat were identified and provided with three days of training in palliative care. This specialized medical approach focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses by providing relief from symptoms, pain, and stress, regardless of the stage of the disease.
Palliative Care ( 13th September 2019)
The second round of training was conducted on 13th September 2019. These volunteers were trained to work with patients and their families, offering comprehensive physical, emotional, and social support, often alongside curative treatments. While palliative care is commonly used in managing chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia, it is not limited to these. The primary goal of this initiative was to enhance the comfort and overall well-being of patients.