Health Care

Early on BCT found that the twin evils that continue to plague the rural poor are ignorance and ill-health. The first was addressed by organizing programmes that emphasized education and training. To tackle the latter, BCT established the Grama Arogyalayam Trust in 1985 to deal with health education as well as treatment of illness. One of the earliest steps taken by BCT’s staff was the training of illiterate women to be health workers. These women were given basic training in health and hygiene using an innovative training method consisting of flashcards and practical demonstration.

Simultaneously, traditional midwives in each village were also given training in modern midwifery to enable them to conduct normal deliveries in a hygienic and safe manner.

Community Health Training

Nine village women have been trained as multipurpose workers in 6 villages on the basis of one per thousand population. Every day they visit 6 houses each discussing health, hygiene, and public sanitation. As many are illiterate they use flashcards and other aids and administer medicines for minor ailments. A health visitor visits each village once a week not only to conduct a clinic, but also to immunize the children. Serious ailments are referred to doctors. A retired obstetrician Dr. Kamala Bhai runs an antenatal clinic every Sunday.

BCT currently has three hospitals in the district but suffers from a shortage of qualified doctors and nurses needed to run them effectively. The health education programs have also had to be put on hold for the same reason. BCT is actively on the look out for dedicated health professionals—please go to our Get Involved section to find out how you can help.