THE GUDALUR ADIVASI HOSPITAL

NEWSLETTER 2003

Another year has gone by. The Gudalur Adivasi Hospital has completed 13 years of operation. All of us who have been a part of this effort can look back with pride at the magnitude of change that we have been able to bring about in the health status of the tribals of the Gudalur valley. Countless unnecessary deaths have been prevented, and many more children are living to their first birthday.

The Main Activities:

The focus of most of the discussions this year was on the issue of sustainability. The need to sustain the changes in the health status that have been achieved over many years was highlighted. Capacity building at the village level was envisaged as the most important activity. From around 100 volunteers in 2002, more than 200 volunteers from over 150 villages are now being trained in preventive and curative health care. Training sessions in the areas and at the hospital have been extremely lively and rewarding. The enthusiasm of the younger generation has been infectious.

The 10 new health animator/nurse trainees who have joined us have been a treat to train and work with. Their concept of time and discipline has been so different from previous batches that it made us realise just how much the community has changed over the years. They have imbibed many mainstream values. The challenge is to help them enter the mainstream on equal terms, whilst preserving the unique values that tribal people have, but which the world in general is losing fast.

A team of senior staff are being given inputs in management skills and are now taking on a lot more responsibility.

Malu and Kunjamma, two 16 year old Paniya girls, had been hospitalised for over a year with fractures of both legs, after a jeep ran over them as they went to the annual tribal festival in 1997. Kunjamma was newly-married at that time. Having almost died at the government hospitals, CMC Vellore came to the rescue and got them their lives and legs back! Though handicapped, they can walk. And Kunjamma now has a 2 year old baby! Their case, which was pending in court, was finally settled. A financial settlement in their favour! A case being decided in favour of a tribal is indeed a novel experience that gives everyone hope.

Some statistics

- 215 villages and more than 13,000 tribals are being covered.

- 8261 outpatients seen at GAH and 5635 in the area centers

- 901 patients admitted and treated at GAH

- 81% of pregnant women had antenatal care.

- Of the 303 deliveries, 45% were in hospital.

-4500 people paid their insurance premium.

Financial Sustainability:

The health insurance program has generated a lot of interest and we have had discussions about it in various fora all over India. We are striving to improve it, so as to help reduce the financial burden caused by illness in the community.

There is a crying need for a CORPUS FUND, to help give stability to the program. Although one third of the running costs of the health programme are met by locally-generated funds, the contributions of such an impoverished community cannot be stretched any more. The interest from the Corpus Fund would help to meet the deficit. Rs. 100 lakhs (US $ 200,000) is our target. Some of our staunch supporters have started pitching in and, to date, our corpus fund has already reached 5 lakhs! We hope that every one of you will help us to achieve this target by becoming fundraisers for us. We have prepared an appeal and would be happy to send you copies if you can reach out to your friends to help us.

Visitors and volunteers from many parts of the world visited us during the year, bringing with them fresh thinking and ideas. The preventive and curative health care programs are proceeding well, with the help of the committed staff, as well as the financial support from individuals, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Skillshare International.

Financial details, April 2002 to March 2003.