Mother and child hospitals appears to be godsend for poor patients

Mother and child hospitals in the country run by Village Education Resource Center (VERC) under its healthcare service program have become boon for the poor and underprivileged people as it provides quality medical services at reasonable cost.

Since the early nineties, VERC had been working on mother and child health with foreign donor support and the then Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) was one of them.

The services aimed at meeting the Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) of the marginal people in the country. The non-government organization had a coalition with the government service providers supported by community-based trained volunteers across Savar, Singair, Aminbazar, etc.

VERC took the initiative to organize a mechanism so that the mothers in the noted areas can have access to quality health services at affordable cost.

To this effect, a mother and child hospital was established in 2004 and it continues rendering services to the poor and marginalized people in Savar, on the outskirt of capital Dhaka.

The hospital-based curative services for mothers and children are linked with the communities through a pool of volunteers with the experience of working with VERC for a long.

This network helps ensure ANC/PNC services, safe delivery, and treatment support in general ailments. This program is now sustainably running in the area.

Three MBBS (one consultant and two full-time residential medical officers) doctors specially trained in maternal and child health care are available at Savar hospital to render outdoor services every day.

For indoor treatment of patients, 10 beds are available with an air-conditioned operation theatre, a safe delivery room, an observation room, and a post-operative care room in the hospital.

The hospital has also manager, counselor, lab technicians, diploma nurses, and paramedics to counsel pregnant mothers, postnatal mothers and eligible couples for recommending FP methods. The immunization program is carried out in collaboration with Savar municipality through Savar upazila health complex.

VERC has extended a similar service delivery mechanism in Mirsarai of Chattogram when a foreign-supported health project was phased out in 2013.

Mirsarai Hospital provides both indoor and outdoor services to patients coming from Mirsarai and adjoining areas. One MBBS doctor specially trained in maternal and child health is available to render outdoor services every day.

There are also manager, counselor, lab technicians, diploma nurses, and paramedics to counsel pregnant mothers, postnatal mothers, and eligible couples for recommending FP methods. This hospital is equipped with an ambulance, pathology lab, and beds of patient as it have doctors and other supporting staff.

The hospitals provide services like- ANC/PNC, normal delivery, caesarean operation, general treatment, pathology, ultra-sonogram, ECG, and necessary things to manage the surgical operation.

Health services are provided to VERC beneficiaries from these hospitals at a subsidized rate, offering support to the poor patients. To this effect, the staffs of the organization make a generous contribution to the subsidy fund regularly.

Besides, the organization arranges free health camps at different times in Savar, Kaliakoir, Singair, and Sonargoan upazilas as part of regular activity. Every health-related international and national day is also observed by the hospitals.

Subash Chandra Saha, Director (Training and Communication), VERC said from July 2017 to June 2018, a total of 12,388 women and children received medical services from the hospitals established by VERC. (BSS)