CORE PROGRAM:

HEALTH & NUTRITION

CORE PROGRAM/WORKING SECOTR

HEALTH & NUTRITION

Background of the Program:

UNNAYAN believes that health care as a part of concerted effort to alleviate poverty is equally important. UNNAYAN, since its inception, has been implementing health related activities for its beneficiaries with provision for health awareness building, nutrition and primary health care services. UNNAYAN provides primary health care services to the beneficiaries through static clinics, satellite clinics and health & eye camps.

Objective of the Programme:

Health and Nutrition:

A. Maternal & Child Health Care:

The general objective of the project is to improve maternal health in the project area. The specific objectives of the program are:

  • Identify, listing and updating 100 percent pregnant women in the project area;
  • Increase antennal checkup (at least 5 times) during the pregnancy of all pregnant women
  • Increase 80 percent delivery conducted by trained birth attendants in the project area;
  • Increase of institutional delivery from 10 percent to 30 percent in the project area;
  • Reduce maternal mortality rate at least 50 percent in the project area;
  • Improve nutritional status of women in the project area.
B. Cataract Surgery Programme:
  • Reduce the rate of preventable blindness among the poor and disadvantaged people in the project area;
  • Identify the main eye problems through eye screening campaign;
  • Restore eye sights through surgery;
  • Lessen preventable blindness in the project area;
  • Increase cataract surgery rate (CSR) in the project area;
  • Reduce dependency of cataract patients on others;
  • Increase mobility of the cataract patients and involve in income generation activities;

 Water and Sanitation:

  • Increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to the project areas;
  • To reduce the risks to health caused by limited access to safe water and the use of contaminated water
  • To reduce/eliminate the vulnerabilities faced by people (in particular women) who travel to access safe water;
  • To improve the quality of life among the most vulnerable groups;
Health-&-Nutrition

Major Activities and Services

The important activities under Health Program of UNNAYAN include:

  • Health Awareness Raising
  • Primary Health Care Services
  • Pregnant and post-natal care
  • Menstrual hygiene
  • Static Clinics
  • Satellite Clinics
  • General Health Camps
  • Eye-Camps
  • Nutrition Related Activities
Handwashing-Practice

Major Activities and Services (Details)

Health Awareness Raising

The health awareness activity of UNNAYAN has been playing a key role in sensitizing people on preventing diseases and educating the underprivileged to maintain good health. Health, hygiene and nutrition related topics are discussed in the group meetings round the year. Through the activities, basic knowledge and information are conveyed to the people about general and communicable diseases, keeping households clean and its necessity, nutritious food, maintaining personal cleanliness, care of pregnant mother and children.

Primary Health Care Services

UNNAYAN provides free medical services and consultancy to the doorstep of the target people to address their various health related issues. The health volunteers and health assistants visit the households of the selected unions. Every health volunteer visits 20 households per day. They conduct health check-ups of the beneficiaries and their children in terms of measuring blood pressure, blood sugar level, weight, monitoring growth of children etc. and provide necessary counseling and support for maintaining good health. Each household is visited at least once a month to collect/update health-related information about all its members. The collected information and data are recorded in the household health-card and also entered into a computer database established for the purpose. The beneficiaries and their family members get health services throughout the year by using the health card depositing an amount of BDT 100 only. Currently 48 Health visitors and 4 health officer and 3 Doctors has directly provided health support to the beneficiaries;

Static Clinics

Heath Assistants provide health services for 20-25 working days in every month at branch offices through static clinics. Patients with general illnesses receive free treatment from the static clinics. Every month on average 200-250 patients regularly receive treatment through static clinics.

Satellite Clinics

UNNAYAN organizes satellite clinics in order to ensure basic healthcare for the beneficiaries. The health assistants operate satellite clinics every week in different places as per need of the community people. The problems which are beyond the capacity of the health assistants are referred to the satellite clinics. One MBBS doctor provides health services for 8 working days per month in each satellite clinic, especially to serve referred patients. In addition to this service, specialist doctors from Khulna or other places are invited to these clinics to provide free healthcare services for the community. This activity is performed simultaneously with other activities. Every month on average 300-350 patients regularly receive treatment through satellite clinics.

General Health Camps

In order to provide primary health care services to the distressed people at free of cost, UNNAYAN set up health camps in its working areas. Specialized doctors attend the health camps. In these camps, patients with serious ailments are also referred to different public as well as private hospitals/clinics where their treatment is arranged free of cost.

Eye-Camps

To provide primary eye care services at the door step of the people, UNNAYAN also organizes eye camps across the year in its working areas to cater the needs of the poor people. The eye camp is being facilitated by eye specialists. Alongside primary eye care services and providing free spectacles, cataract patients are screened in these eye camps and are referred to concerned eye hospital for surgical operation at free of cost.

Nutrition Related Activities

UNNAYAN emphasizes on development of nutritional status of pregnant, new born babies and lactating mother, and tries to change dietary and hygienic practices through awareness raising activities and counseling. The growth of the babies of the project beneficiaries is monitored routinely to detect whether they have been suffering from malnutrition. Mothers are being motivated to know their children’s nutritional status and subsequently advised to take care of their children.

UNNAYAN also supplies iron tablets for pregnant mothers, breast feeding mothers and adolescent girls, de-worming tablets for breast feeding mothers, adolescent girls, children aged 25-60 months and other family members of the target groups, de-worming suspension for children aged 13-24 months and micro nutrient powder sachet for children aged 7-24 months. Under PPEPP ENRICH program, UNNAYAN create awareness on nutrition to the pregnant & lactating mothers, adolescents and children through court yard meeting and also distributes iron tablets, de-worming tablets & pushtikona.