Lives Touched
The inhabitants of Bishnupur and Uttardinajpur
1998-2000
Bishnupur and Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal
The Story
The Health and Family Welfare Department of the Government of West Bengal was committed to providing effective health care services to the community at the secondary level hospitals supported by the primary health centres below and the tertiary teaching hospitals above. This required comprehensive strengthening i.e. provision of infrastructural support with enhancement and increase in the facilities along with up-gradation of the health staff’s skills both in technical areas and in human values.
Thus, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) was expected to play a vital role in moulding the health care seeking behaviour of the community by familiarising the beneficiaries with the actual availability of health services including the chain of referral services and sensitise the medical staff and beneficiaries about the need and options for improved quality of care. Hijli INSPIRATON partnered with the Health and Family Welfare Department in the initiative.
The target has been classified into three broad groups :
- Beneficiaries or Takers of Service
- Health system or Providers of service
- Administration and Panchayat Staff or the Linkers
For each section, need specific strategies were designed, tried and tested before submitting it as State Level Strategy.
At the level of takers and linkers implementation of IEC modules was undertaken on a wide scale. They included Printed and visual aids, Cultural and Interactive programmes and Capacity Building Community Institutionalisation approaches.
Impact Points
For the Beneficiaries or Takers
- Printed and visual aids
- Cultural and interactive programmes
- Capacity Building and Community Institutionalisation approaches
For the Linkers, Several Modules were designed which related to
- Sensitisation of Panchayats, Administrative Functionaries, Health Assistants and the like on beneficiary and provider perception.
- Orientation Workshops with Panchayat Workers for improving their communication skills.
- Awareness for Anganwadi workers, Panchayat workers, local leaders, social activists on the service details and referral process and independent health management through training, meetings, folders, leaflets and posters.
For the Hospital Staff
- Motivational training on behavioural aspects for health staff including doctors, nurses, and ward masters.
- Introduction of ‘Hospital Day’ concept.
- Quality Circle Approach was experimented for improved efficiency of the hospital system