Madan Sinh Park

12/2/2001

The health scenario in the post earthquake situation is gradually becoming clearer. The efforts so far, from the government and Abhyan end has been to focus on re-starting and strengthening the public health system. The first stp in this direction was to get the PHC system started. As already reported in our earlier update, almost all the PHC buildings have been totally destroyed in the quake-affected areas of Kutch district.

We are happy to inform that there has been very good coordination between the health department, Abhiyan and two NGOs, namely the Brahmakumaris and Save the Children in this regard. The Chief District Health Officer, Dr. Solanki gave Abhiyan a top-priority list of 17 PHCs which needed temporary structures to be up immediately. The Brahmakumaris agreed to put up the tarpaulin tents for all the 37 PHCs in the districts, as per the specifications given by Dr. Solanki. As of today, the Brahmakumaris have provided the tentage in all 37 PHCs and helped the PHC staff in putting up most of them. They have also put up staff tents for the Anjar and Bhachau CHCs, at the express request of Dr. Solanki.

Save the Children, on the other hand, has committed themselves to putting up 5 staff tents each for all the 37 PHCs. Work in this regard has started, as per the first list of 17 PHCs, given by Dr. Solanki. Save the Children has also committed themselves to put up tentage for all the sub-centres of the 37 PHCs (which would be around 115 in number), as also for the 37 Dispensaries in the district (including 3 major Dispensary-cum-maternity wards). They would a;lso be providing the furniture and basic equipments required in these places to become fully operational. This entire exercise would ensure that the basic public health infrastructure is put in place in the near future.

On the 11th of February, at 7.30 p.m., a meeting was held at the Abhiyan Campus to discuss the policy implication on health and prepare a position paper on the same to submit to the government authorities concerned. A draft paper would be ready by today evening, so that interested individuals can give their feedback on the same to finalise it.

We were informed by the UNICEF-UNFPA team visitng the Abhiyan Campus on the 11th that they have had an agreement with the Government of Gujarat to take up training of primary school teachers, anganwadi workers and PHC staff to identify post trauma cases for counselling and psychiatric intervention. UNFPA has decided to set up 10 mobile counselling units for this purpose.

We were informed by a Mumbai based group of homeopathic doctors called Homeopaths, that they had set up a free homeopathic clinic at Bhuj in the Giants Vaccination Centre, Hospital Road, Near Rajaram Hospital, Bhuj. The timings of the Clinic are 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day. They would be happy to start a mobile clinic for the district if a van could be arranged for this purpose.

The Bidada Sarvodaya Hospital in Bidada has requested for nurses, orthopaedics, GPs, and physios on an urgent basis. Abhyan is networking with a few organisations for this purpose to satisfy their needs.

The health coordination meeting at Lalan College Campus in the ICRC tent and chaired by the W.H.O. today at 8.00 p.m. will discuss the draft policy paper on health and emerging issues in the field. This is for the information of everyone that these meetings are held every monday, wednesday and friday at 8.00 p.m. at the same venue.