National projects in Mother and child care including ASHA.
Sathiya rajeswaran.P.
Objective
The Growing importance of AYUSH Systems Domestic as well as Global areas is evident from various statistics generated in yester years. Inclusion of AYUSH Systems in national/ State/ District/ Taluk level is mandatory in Public Health and proper understanding of national health programmes and preparedness in Inclusive health care delivery is the need of the hour. In listening / Reading these lines will give you a message and prepare the faculties for their inclusiveness in National projects.
Mother and Child care
Mother and child care even though is primitive still holds a lot of importance as it Focuses on a healthy nation. Rural population is still vulnerable in mother and child care.
Unhygienic environments, Poor Ante natal follow-ups, Malnutrition including Iron deficiency, improper child care and lack of frequent health supervisions take them under vulnerable population. The national projects if addressed properly will reduce the burden faced by the Rural as well as semi urban population which occupies the major population in India.
Accredited social health activist (ASHA)
Accredited social health activist play a very important role in NRHM as they access the rural population easily and they are Change agent on health .The first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children
Roles and Responsibilities
- Create awareness on
Nutrition
Basic sanitation
Hygienic practices.
Healthy living
- counsel on
Birth preparedness,
Importance of safe delivery,
Breastfeeding
Complementary feeding,
Immunization,
Contraception
Prevention of common infections including reproductive Tract Infection /Sexually Transmitted Infection (RTIs/STIs) and care of the young child.
Mobilize the community and facilitate them in accessing health
Services available at the village
Sub-center
Primary health centers
Immunization,
Ante Natal Check-up (ANC)
Post Natal Check-up (PNC),
ICDS and Sanitation.
Primary care by ASHA Activist
- Diarrhoea
- Fevers
- First aid for minor injuries.
ASHA Will Provide Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme.
ASHA as medical depots
• Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS)
• Iron Folic Acid Tablet (IFA)
• chloroquine
• Disposable Delivery Kits (DDK)
• Oral Pills & Condoms etc.
• A Drug Kit will be provided to each ASHA
AYUSH ASHA ROLE
• Combating malnutrition with Siddha drugs/ nutrition advices
• Ensuring basic hygiene and train to make use of home garden herbs and home remedies
• Teaching Siddha life style/ yoga for kids
AYUSH KIT WITH ASHA - WILL HAVE
• RCH KIT - Reproductive and Child health Kit
• General KIT - Siddha First Aid Kit.
• Information materials
• Referral addresses
• Wound healing drugs
• Tonic for women
ROLE AND INTEGRATION WITH ANGANWADI
ASHA will integrate with existing Anganwadi workers to
• Organizing Health Day once/twice a month.
• On health day, the women, adolescent girls and children from the village will be mobilized for orientation on health related issues such as importance of nutritious food, personal hygiene, care during pregnancy, importance of antenatal check up and institutional delivery, home remedies for minor ailment and importance of immunization etc
ASHA – PROFILE
• One ASHA per 1000 population.
• Primarily a woman resident of the village - ‘Married/Widow/Divorced’.
• Literate woman with formal education up to Eighth Class
• Effective communication skills, leadership qualities.
Training needs for AYUSH ASHA
• Providing newborn care and management of a range of common ailments particularly childhood illnesses
• Inform about births and deaths any unusual health problems/disease outbreaks in the community to the Sub-Centers/Primary Health Centre.
• Promote construction of household toilets under Total Sanitation Campaign
• Identification of birth defect children and referrals
• YOGA / Day care – Seasonal care and Personal care mentioned in Siddha
• Nutritious Foods and Home remedies in Siddha and Immunization medicines like Urai Mathirai and Sei Nei in Siddha.
SCHOOL HEALTH SCHEME
Sathiya rajeswaran.P.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of including AYUSH Physicians is to inculcate the Principles of Healthy living from their teen age and to teach children healthy food and healthy practices. Promotion of positive health (Health Education), Prevention of diseases (Including Immunization), early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, referral services to higher Health Centers are the Outcomes expected. There is a constant increase in the number of students over the years without corresponding increases in the School Health clinics after its inception in 1979. 50% of the students are having one or more health problems at any given point of time emphasizing need for an annual checkup. Screening of these students will considerably reduce the burden on secondary (dispensaries) & tertiary (hospitals) health care outlets.
Need of screening is to make the child independent and socially productive
PROCEDURES
- Routine complete physical health checkup of each student
- Curative services through OPD services.
- Immunization against tetanus at the age of 10 and 16 years.
- Referral of students who require attention of a specialist, to referral centers and subsequent follow up of these cases.
- Health Education and Counseling.
- Advising the school authorities for maintenance of healthy and safe environment.
Mass Deworming Programme
A large number of students have hidden burden of worm infestation leading to anemia and growth failure. Therefore the mass deworming of children with a single dose Deworming tab/churnam will give benefit in this programme.
Screening for cardiac diseases
Children and adults have to be watchful when they get a throat infection and attend to it immediately. "If it is a bacterial infection, it causes severe pain of the joints and slowly leads to heart failure," school children have to be screened for a healthy heart. The other ways of preventing heart diseases is by avoiding consanguineous marriages. The identified Children should be referred for higher cardiac centers.
Health Education
Prevention is better than cure. Trained teachers will be giving health education to all the students round the year on common topics like hygiene, environmental sanitation, food hygiene, hand washing, balanced diet and iodine deficiency disorders.
Session of Yoga and Sex Education for classes ten and above should be conducted. AIDS awareness sessions will be conducted for children above 15.
More emphasis will be given on Demographic based and seasonal oriented Indigenous diet.
RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED
u Cumulative Health Record
u Medical Register
u Referral and Follow-up Register
u Deworming and Immunization register.
u Health Education Register
u OPD Register
u Monthly Report
u Annual Report
u Monthly Schedule Report
u Indent Book
u Main Stock Register
u Sub – Stock Register
u Expiry Register
u Daily Consumption and Balance Register.
CONCLUSION
Strength of Country is the percentage of Younger age group and contrarily there is also increasing statistics of Mortality rate between 3 rd and 4 th decade. Its the need of the hour to identify, Educate and Protect the Mother and Child Sector who will contribute much towards healthy India.
