Community Health Initiative, Maharashtra
Impact India Foundation is an International Initiative Against Avoidable Disablement. It is a catalyst for Action Today to prevent Disability Tomorrow.
About You
About You
First Name
Zelma
Last Name
Lazarus
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Impact-India-Foundation/250473038300781
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Impact India Foundation (IIF)
Organization Website
Organization Country
India, MM
Country where this project is creating social impact
India, MM
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Has the organization received awards or honors? Please tell us about them
1993: The United Nations Grand Award and the IPRA Golden World Award for
Excellence in Public Service worldwide.
1994 : Rotary Club of Bombay honours Impact India’s Mrs. Zelma Lazarus
with a Public Award for her leadership in creating India’s first mobile hospital on
track – the Lifeline Express.
2000: Expo Award Hannover, Germany.
2009: National Postage stamp and First Day Cover released by the
Government of India honouring the Lifeline Express.
2010: Honoured with the AmeriCares Spirit of Humanity 2010 – Jury’s
Choice Award for outstanding contribution towards improving health care and
empowering a healthier and stronger society....and more.
References - Please provide two references with a two-sentence biography, email address, and phone number for each
(1)Mr. K. R. Sreenath, CEO, Volkart Foundation, Mumbai 400 021.
Email: krsreenath@volkartfoundation.in
Tel: +91 22 2283 6336 / 2283 6338
Mr. Sreenath's experience in the Social Development sector is in the field of women and Children, health and welfare, income generation and empowerment of women and vocational training for youth. He was for 12 years with All India Radio and Song and Drama Division of Government of India's Information & Broadcasting Ministry, 26 years with Family Planning Association of India, and the past 8 years serving at Volkart Foundation.
2.) Mr. Girish Mittal,
Past President (2007-2008), Rotary Club of Mumbai, Borivali East.
1305 Dhruv, Ashok Van, Borivali East, Mumbai 400 066
Email:mittalgirish@gmail.com
M:9323462428
Mr. Girish Mittal is a BTech in Engg and is currently running a small software company specializing in mathematical and statistical modeling.
He is very interested in societal issues and invests considerable amount of time and energy in issues such as availability of low cost health care, water & sanitation etc. He is also involved in improving the governance structure of the Government and corporate sector. His new hobby is training hard to run a 21 kms-marathon in Mumbai in early January, 2012.
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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (past the previous stages and has demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for more than 5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
The rural disabled population in poor countries is neglected and seen as a social and economic burden. Rarely do persons living in India's remote villages have access to qualified medical and surgical health care... a distant, unachievable dream. They end up relying on the dubious methods of local traditional medicine practitioners and quacks. The end result: a silent and depressed acceptance of life; a fatalistic and self-defeating outlook.
A Baseline Survey commissioned by IIF and conducted by a leading social research agency in 2004 in Maharashtra revealed - Infant Mortality Rate: 80 per 1000 live births; Child Births at home: 84.80%; Child Malnutrition: 62.40%. Distribution of the disabled were: 37% Orthopaedic disability, 32.8% hearing loss, and 28.4% vision impairment.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
In 2005 Impact India Foundation (IIF) launched an ambitious project in Thane District of Maharashtra - the Community Health Initiative (CHI) in eight, remote, tribal blocks covering an area of over 6000 square kilometers and a population of almost two million. IIF is creating a replicable and sustainable model for the Government’s National Rural Health Mission using available delivery systems and existing infrastructure, developing appropriate monitoring systems and methodologies.
This is in support of the Government’s goal to set up a sustainable, fully functional, community-owned health delivery system.
The CHI reinforces the Right To Health for vulnerable communities in deprived under-served areas, by creating a demand for better health services and addressing gaps in the Government's health delivery system.
After an independent Evaluation and a professional Process Document by Tata Consultancy Services, the CHI is planned for replication by the Government throughout India.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
The Community Health Initiative aims at disability reduction through cure and prevention.
Curative programmes include restoration of sight, hearing, locomotion and repair of facial deformities in partnership with nearby hospitals for surgery and follow up, as well as, distribution of Aids & Appliances: spectacles, hearing aids, braces, calipers etc. All services at Government and partner hospitals are free of cost to the beneficiaries.
Preventive programmes include reduction in Infant and Maternal Mortality Rates - Ante and Post Natal Care; Immunisation against childhood disease to achieve 100% coverage of the Government's programme; Information, Education & Communication or Health education using diverse media: posters, films, street plays in the local Warli art form for change of behavior; Home Gardens focusing on low-cost nutrition, distribution of seeds, saplings and horticultural training to promote the use of fresh vegetables in schools and households for much-needed micro-nutrients to control Anaemia; Health check-ups for school children through the School Health Monitor programme for early detection of signs of illness; De-worming for anaemic adolescent girls, in addition to conducting Haemoglobin estimation and holding talks on Nutrition and Health; Water Management: IIF builds check dams, trenches, repairs wells, cordons springs etc. to raise the ground water table and provides drinking water systems with community participation.
Capacity building of Government health staff and community volunteers is ongoing and vital for project sustainability.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
In Thane District no other organisation is working on as many health components on this scale. IIF's unique role and biggest challenge is in being an effective catalyst, bringing together the Government, corporate sector, NGOs, professionals and the community in large replicable health projects. In the Community Health Initiative IIF has mobilised Foundations (Volkart, Mattel Children's Foundation) Rotary & Lions Clubs, companies (HDFC Bank, HPCL, Tata Consultancy Services, Syngenta..) NGOs (Vatsalya, Population First, Tulsi Eye Hospital & Charitable Trust..)and medical professionals (Opthalmologists, Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons, Nutritionists, ENT Surgeons etc.) to reduce existing disabilities by 65% and is firmly addressing future disabilities through systemic preventive programmes.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
The unprecedented success of IIF's other major project, the Lifeline Express - the world's first hospital train, has medically served (from July 1991 till December 2011) more than 700,000 rural disabled over 130 projects in 91 Districts across 17 States of India, underscored the reality that disability needs to be addressed - in terms of both: cure and prevention. The magnitude of the Lifeline Express's success is small in relation to the extent of prevailing disabilities. At least 70 million persons in India are disabled and a major portion of this disability could have been prevented.
Hence, late Mr. A. H. Tobaccowala, Chairman of Impact India Foundation, (1983 to 2010) conceived the Community Health Initiative in 2004 as a dramatic, replicable pilot model for disability reduction through prevention and cure, using available infrastructure and existing delivery mechanisms, in partnership with the community, NGOs and the Government, as a comprehensive solution to disability.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Earlier termed the "Disability Reduction Project" the project was re-named "Community Health Initiative" (CHI) as its activities ensure the health of the community as a whole. The objectives of CHI are:
-Reduction by one-half in the incidence of future disability through prevention.
-Reduction by one-half of existing disability through curative measures.
- To develop systems, methodologies and monitoring arrangements that can be successfully replicated in India and developing countries.
The areas of concentration include Safe motherhood, Nutrition, Immunisation, Water quality, Health education and community mobilisation.
Goal: Provision of integrated, primary health care in rural areas to improve the health of future generations, and thereby social inclusion in India's progress.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
To measure the impact of CHI activities, India's leading I.T. major, Tata Consultancy Services, designed an online Management Information System. Achievements against targets (calculated against a fresh Baseline Survey)showed that reduction of existing disabilities was dramatic (till June, 2011): Almost 80% in correction of vision impairment, 60% in correction of hearing loss, 100% in cleft lip and palate repair and 25% in orthopaedic impairment (multi-phase treatment). To this, add 60% in Dental treatment, focusing on students in Ashramshalas (tribal residential schools).
Prevention activities conducted in selected Primary Health Sub Centre areas showed achievements as: 90% in immunisation, 99% in Ante Natal Care, 70% in Anaemia Control, and 60% in IEC or Health Education.
IIF's Lifeline Express Mobile Clinics (Diagnostic Vans) in the CHI screened & referred over 91,000 persons for vision problems.
Direct CHI beneficiaries number 208,788; more than half are female.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
Over the next five years IIF seeks to reduce existing disability through
Cure: 100% in vision and hearing impairment, 50% in orthopaedic (multi-phase & transport-challenged areas)
Prevention: 90% increase in institutional child births, 100% pregnant women complete four ante natal check ups, 90% anaemia reduction in adolescent girls (Hb>10gms/dl),100% immunisation of infants against disease, 50% malnutrition controlled through Health education and Kitchen Gardens, 1800 health education sessions for 500,000 attendees resulting slowly in behaviour modification;
50% success in Capacity building of Government and community volunteers to sustain health gains - improved public health delivery mechanisms and improved belief in healthcare priorities.
See IIF' brochure: www.impactindia.org
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Reduction of existing disabilities by above 15%; increase in institutional child births by 20%.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Motivate the private sector to actively support the rural disabled in remote areas addressing gaps in Public Health
Task 2
Mobilise the community to place health as a priority and a prerequisite to improved livelihood
Task 3
Enlist active Government partcipation to upgrade Health Centres and delivery mechanisms.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Reduction of existing disability by 30%; increase in institutional births by 40%: improved health care
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Community is motivated and has increased access to Government's primary health centres
Task 2
Government is upgrading Health Centres: manpower, equipment, infrastructure and services
Task 3
Systems for health care delivery are being put in place.
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
Impact India Foundation acts as a catalyst to bring together business houses, NGOs, the Government and the community to implement health programmes of national priority. The Community Health Initiative (CHI)comprises partnerships with private sector, supported by Government health machinery, NGOs, medical professionals and community (Gram Sabhas).
The CHI uses available delivery systems and existing infrastructure, for sustainability, in support of the Government’s National Rural Health Mission's goal to establish a fully functional, community owned, integrated, health-delivery system.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your innovation? If so, where and why?
The Community Health Initiative (CHI) was launched in 2005 in five Blocks of Thane District, Maharashtra and was later expanded to seven Blocks. Impressed by its success the Government requested IIF to extend the CHI to an additional eighth tribal Block thereby expanding its coverage to a population of nearly two million.
Private Trusts have already demonstrated interest in replicating the project in other under-served Districts of Maharashtra. In addition, IIF will present the CHI Process Document to the Government of India for the project's replication in deprived areas of the country.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
An open door policy followed by the Chief Executive Officer welcomes ideas; the presence of a Brainwave Box calls out for new ways of doing; we have flexible work hours, when required; a policy of high written appreciation exists; we have supportive, active and appreciative Trustees who also actively fund raise and suggest avenues.
An overall atmosphere of giving and helping exists, seeking consensus and expressing gratitude rather than censure and being punitive, which helps a lot. Clear Management practices are enunciated in Impact India's HR document "Ten Commandments" citing honesty, transparency and integrity, gender parity and mutual respect.
IIF actively seeks and promotes community participation and ownership, embodying the role of a facilitator and enabler, for community.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
IIF has immeasurable in-house Talent in Public Relations.
IIF's tracking of individual cases, such as pregnant mothers through Ante Natal Care, child births and Post Natal Care, provide data for research.
Collaboration/Networking with other NGOs working on health related issues (water/horticulture)
IIF staff is always available to brainstorm on ideas for health issues of national priority.
 | 14 weeks agoAkila Maheshwari said: The success of your initiatives is well documented. Suggest you check the 12th 5 year plan of the Ministry of Social Justice to activate ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 23 weeks agoNeelam Kshirsagar updated this Competition Entry. |
| 24 weeks agoNeelam Kshirsagar updated this Competition Entry. |
| 24 weeks agoNeelam Kshirsagar updated this Competition Entry. |
| 24 weeks agoNeelam Kshirsagar submitted this idea. |
