Health – ASHA Odisha

ASHA-ODISHA aimed to create awareness by providing useful healthcare related information to the rural communities, with a special focus on women and child health. The other major focus areas are nutrition, hygiene, first aid and curative measures. Women’s health comprising of adolescent health, pregnancy health and reproductive health where emphasis is given more on safe motherhood, pregnancy complications and pregnancy with STDs. Under child health ASHA-ODISHA emphasis is on common ailments, newborn care, immunization, growth milestones and early and exclusive breast feeding.

Project SURAKHYA: Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF)

Under Project SURAKHYA: Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF) supported by Orissa Voluntary Health Association (OVHA) and UNICEF in partnership with the Government of Orissa IYCF initiative was undertaken. This initiative looked at strengthening interpersonal communication of frontline functionaries for counseling mothers and care givers on improved IYCF practices. Simultaneously, it also aimed to work with medical practitioners on ensuring compliance to the IMS (Infant Milk Substitute) Act. This was a unique opportunity where civil society partners joined hands with the government to ensure infant and young child nutrition as the right of the child for growth and development and thus the right of life.

Focusing on avoiding malnutrition in children below the age of 2 years is indispensable to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. Of all proven preventive health and nutrition interventions, Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF) have the single greatest potential impact on child survival. Therefore, reduction of child mortality can be reached only when nutrition in early childhood and IYCF specifically are highly prioritized in national policies and strategies.

The project aimed to introduce, improve, strengthen evaluate and sustain the key infant and young child feeding practices at the household and community level. The project spans across the entire state covering all the 30 Districts with 314 Blocks, the duration of the total project was 19.5 months and an intense implementation done in 7 districts of the state at village level. ASHA-ODISHA was the implementing partner in Nuapada district.

CDPO, BEE, BPO, LHV, ANMs, Anganwadi workers, ASHAs, SHG and youth club members , NGO representatives, eligible couples took active participation during the Orientation of Community Volunteers programme while Sarpanchs, Ward Members, Private medical practitioners took part in the programme. Medical officers and Specialists were the Resource persons in all the programmes even as the district administration showed its commitment towards the cause by donning as the guest for the programme. The Collector, Nuapada chaired the district level orientation programme and the CDMO, ADMO and the DSWO made it to the programme to show their concern and assurance.

Networking and Advocacy of IYCF

Surakhya Kit – Flip Charts and Posters used (at AWW level).
Community Awareness through Dummy Dolls, Odia Training Module and Street Play used (at community and PRI member level).
Networked with NRHM, ICDs, DPC UNICEF, NOP Consultants, NGOs (Yar See, Ayuskam and Parada), CBOs and PRI in implementing the Surakhya initiative.
Display of Key IYCF messages during Maraguda Utsav with ICDS Nuapada.
Media Coverage on “World Breast Feeding Week” (in print and electronic media) i.e. Sambad, Samaj and Dharitri organized on 4th Aug 2012 .

Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (ASRHR):

Under project ANANYA-Marriage No Child’s Play implemented in Nuapada district of Nuapada block and 9 gram panchayat of 43 villages with the support of Save the Children, India. The project trained 450 no. of Adolescent Discussion Leaders and 154 no. of Female Health Workers of intervention areas. Its focused to gain the knowledge and information on sexual reproductive health and rights and realize quality health services and empower of taking decision regarding reproductive rights. The hidden objective of training was to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate. It creates the environment of independent decision making of an adolescent girl if, when and how often to do so. ASRHR impacted the practice, knowledge and attitude of individual that, related to once sexual and reproductive health rights for satisfying, enjoyable and safe sex life.

Training of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights

Components	Male (HW)	Female (HW)	Adolescent Girl	Adolescent Boys	Total
SRHR	0	0	405	45	450
ASRHR	15	150	0	0	154
Supply Chain management of SRH commodities	13	24	0	0	37
Total	28	174	405	45	641

Awareness Programme on Malaria & Diarrhea

Awareness among people on the prevention of malaria and diarrhea was conducted. We organized awareness programmes in 3 villages viz., Nadipada, Khaliapali and Katapali. Details of the list of participants attended the meeting is given in the table.

Villages	Male	Female	Child	Community covered	Total
Khaliapali	10	30	15	02	57
Nadipada	08	23	22	01	53
Katapali	07	50	25	04	82

Engaged in govt. programs MHD, National Nutritional Month, Breast Feeding & Immunization:

ASHA under ACC SCD and MNCP project mobilized the community for leading a healthy life. For this promotion of immunization, motivate to participate in Mamata Divas, promotion of institutional delivery were key strategies of ASHA-ODISHA. And also provided strategy for adequate health related knowledge and creating demand for delivering quality services at their door step. The adolescent , women and children easily access and avail the SRH commodities by the trained health workers. 37 no. of frontline health workers are trained on supply chain management at block level.

Immunization Status:

Immunization of children up to the age of 2 years increased with the concerted efforts of the Govt and ASHA-ODISHA team.

Sl. No	Name of the Village	Children	BCG	DPT/Polio-I	DPT/Polio-II	DPT/Polio-III	Measles	Boster Dose	Vit-A	Total Children
1	Bargaon	Boy	14	13	36	10	17	11	94	195
1	Bargaon	Girl	21	18	24	13	24	15	84	199
2	Khaliapali	Boy	14	20	14	19	28	30	149	274
2	Khaliapali	Girl	12	20	19	26	28	20	160	285
3	Katapali	Boy	16	20	17	17	22	21	120	233
3	Katapali	Girl	19	14	16	15	21	16	102	203
4	Piplipali	Boy	17	38	39	38	73	42	87	334
4	Piplipali	Girl	13	33	20	24	69	29	53	241
5	Bardol	Boy	25	57	66	49	79	48	90	414
5	Bardol	Girl	14	55	46	32	82	26	55	310
6	Dang	Boy	0	33	26	28	53	22	48	210
6	Dang	Girl	3	29	28	14	42	22	47	185
Total		Boy	86	181	198	161	272	174	588	1660
Total		Girl	82	169	153	124	266	128	501	1423

Nutritional Status:

Initiatives yielded in improved child health as is evident from the table below;

Sl. No	Name of the Village	Total Children			Children Standard
Sl. No	Name of the Village	Boy	Girl	Total	Normal	Grade-I	Grade-II	Grade-III	Grade-IV	Total
1	Khaliapali	1016	1008	2024	1184	635	192	13	0	2024
2	Katapali	809	685	1494	786	448	232	28	0	1494
3	Bargaon	664	1010	1674	905	369	345	55	0	1674
4	Bardol	378	299	677	285	195	97	100	0	677
5	Dang	439	412	851	390	281	138	42	0	851
6	Piplipali	334	289	623	275	147	118	83	0	623
Total		3640	3703	7343	3825	2075	1122	321	0	7343

Institutional delivery too increased with our combined efforts by mobilizing the health department personnel. JSY benefits started reaching the beneficiaries without any hassles and in much quicker time.

Antibiotic Stewardship Network in India (2013-2014)

ASHA-ODISHA has implemented the Antibiotic Stewardship Network in India (ABSN) in 6 districts of Odisha i.e. Nuapada, Bargarh, Bhubaneswar,Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Kalahandi. It is a personal opinion of every medical officer (MBBS, BAMS, BUMS and BHMS) to become member in this program.

ABSN is a network of like minded people cutting across medical disciplines and aims to bring together the major stakeholders (viz. medical practitioners and general community) involved in Antibiotic resistance issue on a single platform to join hands and to work together towards reducing the irrational use of antibiotics and hence controlling the spread of resistant bacteria, thereby preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics. This is further geared towards the formation of locally relevant policies on Antibiotic Stewardship in India and ASHA-ODISHA is involved in it to implement this program in Odisha with the following objectives as mentioned below.

To establish a networking platform of Medical Practitioners
To support formation & implementation of locally relevant policies, with aim to minimize resistance in bacteria and retain effectiveness of antibiotics

Outcome

887 MBBS, BAMS, BUMS and BHMS outreached.
10 schools had “Wash the Germs off your Hands” awareness campaigns outreaching about 1000 children in Nuapada district. Children became aware of the better hand hygiene that helps preventing infections, hence controlling antibiotic resistance. They were taught of 8 steps to wash the germs off their hands.