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The ultimate goal of SEWA Rural was not limited to the four walls of the hospital. It was soon realized that due to a numbers of complex social & cultural factors, the hospital remains inaccessible to the vast majority, very often until it is too late.
A baseline survey of the surrounding villages in the year 1982 revealed the gross neglect of health services. Children often suffer from measles, diarrhoea, malnutrition, high incidence of anaemia, malaria and TB beside an apathy towards women's health. As a result there is a high mortality rate among women & children. Many of these deaths were related to diseases which were unfortunately preventable.
The above mentioned rural health scenario prompted SEWA Rural to formulate & commence project of health care at door steps initially in 10 villages in 1982. Later on it was expanded to cover 40 villages and Govt. entrusted Jhagadia PHC was managed for more than 10 years. This happened for the first time in the country. The targets of Health for all by 2000 were achieved by SEWA Rural much before the target deadline due to new approaches and innovations. It included reduction in infant mortality rate and birth rate and substantial increase in coverage of maternal care and vaccination.
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While PHC was being returned to Government, a formal First Referral Unit (FRU) was granted in 1999 by Unicef and Govt. of Gujarat under its Safe Motherhood Initiative. This recognition provided Valuable support to community based new project undertaken in 2003 to reduce the maternal and new born mortality & morbidity covering entire 168 villages of Jhagadia Block. Under this project it is planned to study, understand as well as evolve appopriate strategies and Innovative interventions so as to improve the outcome of pregnant women and new born babies.
Systematic evaluations about conclusions & experiences of community health project were done by two external agencies. The findings of recently carried out in-depth review & detailed study jointly by UNNATI of Ahmedabad and Community Medicine Department of Govt. Medical College, Baroda have been well documented in the book titled " Making of a Primary Health Centre : The SEWA Rural Experience". The rich experience and its lessons turn out to be of considerable relevance not only to NGOs or Govt., but to all those involved and interested in community health work including field experts, academicians, medical colleges and even to students both from medical and paramedical fields.
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