Health
The people in the project area will be covered by the formative, preventive and curative aspects of health and well-being by SODARA’s integrated community health. SODARA will motivate and facilitate the personnel involved in government health schemes to become more efficient and accountable so that the people in general do get the confidence to avail the medical facilities under the government scheme. We shall promote alternative system of medicines like herbal system, sidda vaidya, ayurveda, homeopathy, magnetic therapy, acupressure, acupuncture, pranic healing etc.. and to take advantages of the traditional and cultural system of yoga, vipasana, meditation etc. The project will consist of a main health centre and 10 sub-units with qualified medical staff and infrastructure facilities to cover all aspects of community health, particularly of women, children, disabled and the old aged. All the pregnant women and children upto the age of 6 from Dalit, Tribal, Other Backward Classes and economically backward families would closely be followed up to take care of their health needs. Special linkages will be made with referral centres and would enable the needy patients to reach the hospitals by providing transportation. The Community Health unit will have 3 qualified, experienced and committed Doctors, 6 Nurses/Coordinators and 30 Health Workers. Medicines and facilities would be provided to the poorest sections at subsidised rates so that health care should not worsen the indebtedness of the poorest sections.
While collaborating with the government and other agencies in combating the curse of the area in view of the high content of excess fluorides in the water, 10 Units of protected water supply would be attempted as models as well as to cover the areas not covered by other projects. Each unit would comprise of cemented open slope area and provisions to collect rainwater without allowing the rain water to come in contact with the fluoride rich soil and store the rain water in large size underground water tanks with pump sets and pipe connections to an elevated overhead tanks and pipelines from there to supply protected drinking water to the families in the villages. Chlorination of the stored water and seasonal cleaning of the used spaces will be done in collaboration with the people. Qualified technical and supervisory staff will be appointed to efficiently run and maintain the system. ION Exchange Defluoridation Plants and a lab for water testing and study will be set up. The people affected by the fluorosis will be motivated to avail treatment offered by other agencies. Since allopathic system has not been effective, earlier experience in treating them with homeo drugs will be continued with a special research to treat them on permanent basis with the help of alternative systems. While exploring the possibilities of utilising homeo and other medicines as preventive measures, the traditional system of extra usage of tamarind and calcium producing diets will be promoted.
The lack of psychological education coupled with low self-image in a caste-ridden society that gives value to the individuals based on the status of castes there are damaging scars at the psychological levels of the individuals. Lack of positive self-image and self-acceptance often lead to non-acceptance and non-appreciation of the others and tensions in interpersonal relationships often break individuals and families. Teachers, instructors, animators and other personnel in the project will be trained to develop positive thinking and self-image of all the beneficiaries, especially the children starting at the Early Childhood Centres. Depending on the feasibility Counselling/Therapeutic Teams shall be added to the project. Practice of superstitions and lack of sex education call for greater enlightenmentwith the help of qualified and trained psychological counsellors. Long-term programmes through multi-media programmes, seminars, workshops, role-plays etc could also be tried to affirm human dignity and self-respect. The Project would make efforts to run free charge or low cost special rehabilitation hospitals for drug/alcohol/smoking addicts, patients affected by Parkinson disease, Alzheimer, Dementia, mental retardation, mental breakdown etc especially from economically poor by meeting boarding and lodging expenses, and special counselling including psychiatry and caring services. It is envisaged to establish day care and recreational centres for the old aged.