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CCODER's Community Health Program, emphasizes disease prevention (through
cleanliness, proper nutrition, and family planning) and encourages the
establishment of Primary Health Care Centers to treat illnesses. For those
diseases requiring specialized care or hospitalization, a health insurance plan
is being implemented, to assure that every member can afford the necessary
treatment. Thus, the health of all community members will be improved
substantially, and the majority of diseases and untimely deaths should be
prevented.
CCODER’s 3-step plan for reducing health
problems is based on the guiding principles
of self-help and cooperation with neighbors,
the extended community, and the local
government:
1st Step:
Self-Help:
Village cleanliness, maintained through the 10 minutes contribution, is the key
to a healthy community. In villages where every household has a toilet, and all
members eat a healthy, balanced diet and are conscientious about good family
planning, the majority of diseases afflicting the community are eradicated.
2nd Step: Primary Health Care Centers:
Despite efforts to prevent disease, health problems can and do arise. To treat
these problems, CCODER encourages the establishment of Primary Health Care
Centers, to be operated at the R-CDC level. The Primary Health Care Centers
should be easily accessible to all villages in the R-CDC and should be able to
administer immediate treatment to patients. If they cannot treat a patient's
problem, they must immediately transfer him or her to a higher-level health
clinic or hospital for further treatment. This addresses most of the remaining
health problems.
The Primary Health Care Centers specialize in Ayurveda, a holistic approach to
health care that emphasizes disease prevention through proper nutrition and
exercise, and uses herbal medicines, massage therapy, yoga, and meditation to
cure illnesses. The Primary Health Care Centers should utilize medicinal plants
grown in the local communities and are to be staffed by local medical
practitioners who have undergone additional CCODER training. Supplies and
equipment can be paid for from the Community Development Fund (formed from bank
profits). The government has also expressed an interest in supporting Primary
Health Care Centers, and will be an important source of funding for them.
3rd Step: Community Health Insurance:
To ensure that all community members will be able to pay for any necessary
medical care, a compulsory health insurance plan is being instituted for members
of the CDCs. The health insurance program should ideally operate at the
national level, as it needs a large number of participants, in order to function
properly. Since the network of CDCs has not yet reached the national level,
CCODER will temporarily act as a national CDC. Each individual is currently
required to pay Rs. 2 (US$ .03) per month into the health care fund. The amount
should increase to Rs. 5 per month (US$ .07) within the next few years. This
money, which a committee of D-CDC representatives deposits with CCODER, is
expected to create a sufficient capital base to cover any and all hospital costs
for the 15,000 families who are members of CDCs. This estimate is made under
the assumption that only about 1% of the people will actually require extensive
medical procedures or prolonged hospital visits.
Health technicians at the Primary Health Care Centers should inform their R-CDC
Health Insurance Management Committee about patients with serious illnesses or
injuries who will require insurance money to pay for their treatment. The
Health Insurance Management Committees then report this information to the
committee of district-level representatives, who appropriate funds accordingly.
The health insurance program, like all other programs, is being launched,
conducted, and sustained by the communities. Important decisions about
premiums, benefits, and other aspects of health insurance, will be made during
annual general assemblies. The participants' dedicated involvement in planning,
implementation, and evaluation are helping the program take root.
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