Background
India is on the rise and growing in all dimensions and this growth has touched every state, city, and town of India Including the State of Assam. But like most of the villages of India, the villages of Assam are also struggling to keep up with this pace of growth, and encountering many Socio-economic hurdles, some very important aspects being proper education, health and hygiene, and employment amongst many others. Through this project, we are trying to, if not completely solve the health care problem, at least reduce the magnitude of the problem in rural Assam.
The research also mentions that the average cost of hospitalization on an average is Rs. 30,000 which is a significant financial burden to most of the rural population. Every year 3% of the population slips down the poverty line due to expenditure on health and nearly 57% of the population in this region who need hospitalization are not able to afford it.
Having said this, it becomes clear that the involvement of private players in developing the health care scenario of rural Assam is very important, for holistic growth of the state and improving the living standard of the rural communities. Improved health care of the people will mean moral security which in-turn will spill over to financial security, employment security and security of providing education to many children, who cannot afford to attend school due to financial debts of the family.
Objective:
The Swasthyamitra Project is aimed at providing Local support to the Communities for preventive, and promotive health. The Project is designed to have a local person (Swasthyamitra) for every two to three villages who is a native of the area and is trained to create awareness amongst the community for helping and guiding them when there is a medical need, by means of identifying the nature of the disease/ disease based on the signs and symptoms, and accordingly guiding them to seek proper medical treatment (which specialty/ dept the patient should go to) without much delay.
Through the Swasthyamitra project, we are trying to provide help and support at the earliest possible time to needy people, rather than waiting for an emergency to strike them. Many diseases or/and conditions are controllable and can be completely cured if detected and treated early and in an appropriate manner.
The project:
Over a period of time, the Swasthyamitras are provided trainings evaluated through exams and eventually the Swastyamitras will be trained and made capable of –
- Identifying a wide range of diseases based on the signs and symptoms
- Help and guide the patients as to which Specialty / Dept is the best for his/ her treatment
- Checking Blood Pressure and suggesting the Dietary and Lifestyle changes that are needed to control it
- Checking Blood Sugar and suggesting the Dietary and Lifestyle changes that are needed to control it
- Providing Injections
- Providing IV line
- Stitching of cuts
- Dressing of Wounds
- Physiotherapy
With all these trainings and knowledge the Swasthyamitras will become capable to serving the communities and earn a decent livelihood with respect and dignity, as people with such skills are hugely lacking in the villages and sub-urban areas and these areas are the worst affected when the need of such a person arises.
Swasthyamitras – who now number over 6500, has touched the lives of more than 12 million individuals. To celebrate and recognize the outstanding contribution of our Swasthyamitras in taking forward the Affordable Healthcare vision of our Chairman and realizing his dream “Health for All, Smiles for All”, GNRC Hospitals announced Swasthyamitra Excellence Awards. The event is conducted every quarter, to publicly recognize the contribution, effort, and achievements of the Swasthyamitras.
