Appreciating the role of ‘Sahiyas’ in creating awareness and taking various government schemes among the rural populace, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Nidhi Khare said that ‘Sahiyas’ are the real crusaders and are playing a pivotal role in improving the status of health system across the State through adopting affable techniques.
“It is not just on one or two major fronts on which ‘Sahiyas’ are active but have helped the department in popularizing several government schemes especially routine immunization programme which was earlier associated with several myths,” Khare said. Khare was speaking during a Participatory learning and Action (PlA) State Conclave organized on Wednesday by Department of Health and Family Welfare, GoJ in association with National Health Mission (NHM), Ekjut, UCl and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation at RIMS Auditorium.During the conclave, Khare urged the State Medical College students to take up PlA exercise to get a better understanding of community requirements and how government schemes can be facilitated well benefitting large number of people.
“The medical students must learn from ‘Sahiyas’ about community engagement programme and how they have been successful in expanding the services provided by the Department,” she further said. Meanwhile, Khare expressed her concern over two major issues – Child Marriage and Malnutrition. She added that the figures of Jharkhand under Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) category are quite satisfactory but even now Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) status in Jharkhand is worrisome.
“Only through sheer dedication of the grass-root level workers, MMR can be brought down. IMR, MMR, child marriages and malnutrition are interlinked. The national data suggests that Jharkhand stands in second position from where maximum cases of child marriages are registered. Besides, child marriage cases, over 49 percent children here are malnourished which can only be addressed in collaboration with Department of Women, Child Development and Social Welfare,” Khare said.
Further, Khare appreciated the role of Ekjut – an NGO which is actively working for improvement of maternal, newborn, child health and, marginalized communities, through their community based interventions. Ekjut has partnered with the State government at various levels.
Recognizing the work undertaken by the ‘Sahiyas’ in strengthening the community health problems, Minister, Department of Food Supply and consumer affairs, Saryu Rai including Minister, Department of Water and Sanitation, Chandraprakash Choudhary said that through ‘Sahiyas’ significant change have been brought in improving the health system. Rai on the occasion said, “Sahiya groups have emerged as one of the most powerful organization and must be strengthened while expanding its services.”
By far, 1.5 lakh meetings on various issues have been conducted successfully by ‘Sahiyas’ at 25,000 villages across Jharkhand taking up major women-children welfare issues. Meanwhile, Founder- Director of Ekjut Foundation, Dr. Prashant Kumar Tripathi said that besides the collaborative work of PlA meetings, focus should be on home visit counseling sessions and running of crèches for children under three years of age.