Study on Bundelkhand of Planning Commission: Health - Government Programme on Health
Study on Bundelkhand of Planning Commission: Health - Government Programme on Health
Government Programme on Health.
Government has initiated various programmes to improve the health condition of the masses in rural areas of the state. On August 20, 1994, the govt. of MP had decided to convert selected programmes into a mission mode and marked the beginning of Rajiv Gandhi Mission in the state. These missions centred around three areas-health care, education and livelihood security in rural areas or rural employment.
Missions for Health:
Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders:
The mission had the target to universalise use of iodised salt to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders by 1996. It achieved it target 11 months ahead of schedule and thus was closed and a new Rajiv Gandhi Sanitation Mission was started.
Rajiv Gandhi Sanitation Mission:
The Mission was started in 1996 and aims to make sanitation a people’s movement in the state. The effort is to create public awareness to motivate private household investment in sanitation. It also seek to promote action by elected local body leadership. The role of the govt. will be only as a facilitator and not as a provider.
Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases:
The mission is set up with the long term objective of reducing infant mortality in the state. Twenty eight percent child deaths in the state are attributed to diarrhea. The Mission initiated a series of steps to prevent diarrhoeal deaths.
All high risk villages have been identified. Of a total of 11086 such villages, the largest number in any particular district exists in Chhatarpur where 669 such high risk villages are existing. Panna, Satna, Tikamgarh and Datia have 241, 191, 66 and 42 such villages respectively. These villages were covered during the state wise ORT(Oral Rehydration Therapy) compaign and Safe Water and Health Campaign Conducted in 1995 and 1997, respectively.
National Fileria Control Programme:
The districts of Bundelkhand are prone to the disease of Fileria. That is why, the govt. has taken efforts to establish medical centres for the control and treatment of this disease. Out of the total 9 Fileria Control Units in the state, one such unit is set up in each of these districts, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Satna, Panna and Datia. Out of total 7 Fileria Treatment Centres, 4 are centred in the districts, Satna, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Panna. Panna also has a treatment cum-survey centre.
Health - practices : A case of District Tikamgarh
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While preparing the microplan for universalisation of elementary education in Block Tikamgarh of district Tikamgarh by Sanskar Shiksha Samiti, MP.,certain interesting facts were noticed about the health scenario in the rural areas. It is representative of the whole of rural Bundelkhand and northern MP. As it is clear from the govt. statistics that government dispensaries are limited and a large number of them are located in such areas that they serve only urban population, it is worth notice that villagers depend on local Vaidyas (doctors by experience). In block Tikamgarh, where all the 152 villages were surveyed, there were 165 famous and established vaidyas in the block. Though they are very little educated or uneducated, villagers have strong faith in them. That is why they consult most of the time to their vaidyas for the treatment of their family members and also to the local veterinary experts for the treatment of their animals. As there are very few government dispensaries in this block, villagers have to depend on local vaidays. Apart from these well established local health experts in the villages, many elderly persons also treat the patients on the basis of their self-experience. They are very many sayings and ‘dohas’ at the tip of villagers tongue such as - Savanna byaru jab tab keejai, Bhadon tako nam na leejai Kwar mas ke do pakhware Jatan Jatan se Chalio Pyare. (During the month of Shravan, one should take the evening meals off and on, in the month of Bhadon, one must not take anything in the evening. In the month of kwar, one should be very careful while taking the evening meals) Khake muntay, sobay bayen, Ta ghar vaidya kabahu na jayen. (If one urinates after meals and sleeps to the left side, he will never need any physician to attend him/her) Sonth sonf aur kharak misri khatan Khabar dast ki bisri. (If one takes sonth, sonf, kharak and misri, he/she forgets that he/she was suffering from dysentery) It also came out that in the villages of Tikamgarh block, 157 ojhas and gunias reside. These people give treatment to patients, both human and animals, by mantras and tantras. They not only treat illness but worship for various problems of business, court cases, curing birth of a son etc. for their clients. There are villages in the block (namely village Chhipon) where it is said that a heavenly spirit enters into the soul of a ojha and patients from far off places come to him on a particular day for treatment. It has been observed that uneducated as well as educated people still have faith in these local ojhas and gunias. It is common to see the huge crowd at the doors of such famous ojhas for the treatment of family members, animals and to enquire about the stolen property and their whereabouts. It is not a surprise that even now people have so much blind faith. It is because of mass illiteracy and lack of proper government health centres in this block and 50 to say , in the entive Bundelkhand. |
Vatsalya Yojna. This programme aims at the proper care of
pregnant women and to provide antenatal and postnatal services. Under this
programme 500 rupees are given to rural landless labourer women during their
first and second pregnancy, provided there is a gap of three years in these
pregnancies and the women will opt for permanent family planning measures.
Ayushmati Yojna. This programme has been started by the government to help the
rural women of landless families. Under this programme Rs400/are given in the
first week for the in-house-treatment in the medical college hospitals for
medicines and supplementary meal. The amount can be upto Rs.1000/ for further
hospitalisation. Attendant of the patient is given free meal two times in a day.
Apart from these programmes, Family Welfare Programme, Maternal and Child
Welfare Programme, National Tuberculosis Control Programme, National Leprosy
Eradication Programme and National Blindness Control Programme are also ongoing
in the districts of the state. Though, considerable improvement has been noted
in health sector, a lot more is to be done particularly in the backward
districts like Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, Satna and Datia.