Mother and child hospitals in different regions across the country run by Village Education Resource Centre (VERC), under its healthcare service program, have become blessings for the poor and underprivileged people.
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).
The services were aimed at meeting the Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) of the marginal people in the country.
The non-government organisation had a coalition with the government service providers supported by community-based trained volunteers across Savar, Singair, and Aminbazar, reports BSS.
VERC took initiative to organise 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 continues rendering services to the poor and marginalised people in Savar, 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 time. This network helps ensure ANC/PNC services, safe delivery, and treatment support in general ailments. This program is now sustainably running in the area.
VERC has extended a similar service delivery mechanism in Mirsarai of Chittagong 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 managers, counsellors, lab technicians, diploma nurses, and paramedics to provide counselling to pregnant mothers, postnatal mothers, and eligible couples for recommending FP methods. This hospital is equipped with an ambulance, pathology lab, and patient beds with doctors and other supporting staff.
The present service provisions available with the hospitals include services like- ANC/PNC, normal delivery, caesarean operation, general treatment, pathology, ultra-sonogram, ECG, and all kinds of easy to manage surgical operation.
Health services are provided to VERC beneficiaries from these hospitals at a subsidised rate and offering grant support to deserving poor patients. To this effect, the staffs of the organisation make a generous contribution to the subsidy fund regularly.
Three MBBS (one consultant and two full-time residential medical officers) doctors specially trained in maternal and child healthcare 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 also has a manager, counsellor, lab technicians, diploma nurses, and paramedics to provide counselling to pregnant mothers, postnatal mothers and eligible couples for recommending FP methods. The immunisation program is carried out in collaboration with Savar municipality through Savar upazila health complex.
Besides, the organisation 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 hospital.
Director (Training and Communication) of VERC Subash Chandra Saha said from July 2017 to June 2018 a total of 12,388 women and children received medical services from the hospitals established by VERC.
As per the latest data, the number of the beneficiaries will be increased more, he added.
