Rural Health Program
Dhaka Community Hospital Trust established in 1988. From its inception DCH Trust is running Rural Health Programme with active participation of local community. Up to now DCHTrust established 30 Community based Health Centerin different areas districts of Bangladesh. Through these clinics, DCH Trust ensures basic health care to doorstep of community, EPI & FP programme, Reproductive Health, Specialized Care and Care of the elderly. These centers are centering for other community development activities like Community Empowerment, Health Education and Water & Sanitation,Planning, Implementation and Monitoring etc.
Dhaka Community HospitalTrusthas been implementing its own Community based health insurance program throughout Bangladesh.Most of the inhabitant of rural areasis poor. Usually they do not visit doctors;they visit so-called Quack doctors (Village doctor). As their purchasing capacity isvery low, drugs or investigation prescribed by doctors, most of the prescription remain unused. Nutritional status and health awareness of the ruralpeople are very poor. Women, children and elderly people are usually fur from Medicare facility. So those categoriesof people suffer from infectious diseases in high incidence. There is a tendency of char land people to retain diseases for long time eg. Peopledo not consult any health personnel in the early period of their diseases. Some people become poorer due to bearing of treatment expenditure.
For the last three and half years DCH along with the rural health partner organizations have been launched Community based integrated health care program e.g. bothinvasive preventive and curative care. Primary Health Care implementation has limited the infectious diseases to a certain limit but a lot of awareness program is still to be taken. Due to regular meeting and advocacy with Government health personnel EPI and other Government health program in some area become more effective.In the program area health center established and 8 hours doctor & 24 hours paramedical services are available. So people now can take health services (Doctor Services, Paramedical services, medicine services at low cost, even health education) whenever it needs.Due to in time intervention of diseases incidence ofinfectious diseases decreased to a significant rate
Beneficiary involvement in the project:Most of the beneficiaries are somehow involved in the project actively; rural people are participating in the health program by registration and monthly renewal of health card. Volunteers are selected from the beneficiary for different project activities by forming different action committee. TBA’s are included in the program and a serial training has provided to them. Paramedical training courses are going on who are selected from the local area.
Beneficiary involvements are:
i) Participation in the different training, meeting, group sessionii) Volunteer’sservices during disasteriii) Volunteers services for some other project activitiesiv) Donation of property for project activitiesv) TBA’s servicesvi) Financial support by health card registration and renewal
Sustainability of the programme:
By this project a group of efficient health staff has developed. Training on program orientation, PHC, survey, clinical management and special diseases has developed the doctors & paramedics, Community Development Workers and TBA’s to give services more effectively. At the end of project TBA’s, Community Development Workers and Paramedic areavailable for delivery of respective services individually.
Income generating activities:
i) Health card registration and renewal
ii) Medicine Bank
iii) Outdoor services
iv) Home call
v) By establishing secondary services system
Overall role of DCH in Rural Health Insurance Program:
i) Capacity building of the local organization
ii) Upgrading of PHC activities
iii) Health system development of local newly included organization
iv) Lobby with Govt. authority
v) Workshop arrangement
vi) Referral patient treatment by Reserve fun
vii)Emergency Health Care during Disaster
Rural & Char Partners activities in Health services:
Maintenance of Health center and satellite clinic
Patient management by Paramedic Assist in referral patient treatment
Maintenance of Community Pharmacy
Health education by Home and credit group visit
TBA’s activities:
ANC
PNC
Safe delivery
