Trippy Aneeta

  During my time at CMSK JCMB, the statement by Sheila Kitzinger in the foreword of the book Birth Reborn, “Birth is a political issue. It concerns every woman’s right to give birth in freedom and in a loving environment,” resonated with me. More than any other speciality, what happens during Antenatal Care, Intrapartum Period in a Labour Room, Postnatal Care, largely reflects how a community treats their women- how much freedom and autonomy the women have regarding their choice; to conceive, their diet, the so-called “need” for labour room violence (verbal and physical) for proper delivery, choice of place for checkups and delivery. On Tuesdays, when the ANM visits for vaccination and the office is open to sanction Birth Certificates, the OPDs would usually be flooded with Postnatal Care mothers and neonates. Some mothers presented with a burning sensation on passing urine, fatigue. When asked about their diet, the majority replied that they don’t eat or drink anything past 4-5 ...

During my first month at Chetna Mahila Swasthya Kendra (JCMB) at Koromtanr Bokaro, I got the opportunity to witness three twin deliveries. The first two sets of twins being boys, and the last set of twins being girls. I still remember the happiness and excitement in the air while the first set of twins were born, as they were term and no complications. The second set being preterm (30weeks), both being boys and extremely LBW, with one of the boys passing away 3 days later and the other still fighting at 700g, was indeed sad. I got the honour of being the companion of the third mother with expectant twins. We got acquainted the night before her labour and did the head engagement exercises (something I learnt after coming to CMSK, JCMB) together, sharing our interests, likes and dislikes. She was a 20-year-old primi, residing with her husband and his family as a joint family. Though she had studied till Grade 12, she did not pursue further studies and was soon married off into a joint ...

“ അമ്മ പഠിക്കുന്നു, കുട്ടി കളിക്കുന്നു” While the mother studies, the child plays It was during my days with Mansi ( Program Executive- Nutrition at BHS) that I got the chance to help the Swasth Kirans (similar to ASHAs at BHS) and Phulwari Workers ( staff at Phulwaris, BHS’s creche service for    children of 6 months to 5 years age) learn how to use the Growth Chart, how to mark on it so as to record and monitor the growth of the children in their locality/ Phulwari. During the Pediatrics posting, every student must carry their bundle of WHO growth charts.Often the professors scolded for not bringing it or for not marking our patient’s anthropometry on it or for not paying attention and marking it incorrectly. One of the must said point when asked for its’ uses during the viva was, “It was helpful to monitor growth,especially in low resource setting.” All these memories, came flooding back to me when I saw our field workers with their Growth Chart Booklet. To mark on the Grow...

  Since my Day 1 at BHS, I was persistent on visiting Pindwara, where the organisation worked to treat and rehabilitate stone carving workers who were suffering from Silicosis. However, as I was posted in a different area (Salumber), the schedules didn’t match. So I did not get the opportunity and was disappointed. It was only after 2.5 months of being in Salumber that I accidentally found out, during a PNC home visit, that many of the women in Bedawal work at the soapstone mines, which are within the catchment area of Bedawal ( to be exact, 6 km from Amrit Clinic, Bedawal). I knew there were mines but did not think they were so near. Moreover, I assumed men were the ones who worked at the mines, as women managed household chores and agriculture. I felt upset and angry with myself. Despite engaging with the people of Bedawal during community meetings and at the clinic, I was ignorant about what the women do for a living in that locality. I was so focused on visiting an area almost ...

  As I mentioned in my previous blog, BHS is a not-for-profit organisation that provides primary health care services in rural areas of Udaipur and Salumber district. Other than the primary healthcare centre, they also have other community interventions, one being ‘Phulwari’. In Hindi, it means a bed of flowers/ garden, the most beautiful name for a daycare centre. Phulwaris are crèche services for children 6 months to 5 years old. There are over 12-20 children registered in each centre and are primarily located in areas without functioning Anganwadi. They are provided with three nutritious meals a day for their growth and development.They are taught alphabets, numbers, and nursery rhymes and engage in group activities and games for their cognitive development. The Phulwari workers monitor the children’s growth by weighing and measuring their height every month. If any child is sick or detected to have severe acute malnutrition (SAM), they are soon referred to Amrit Clinic, the pri...

BHS is a not-for-profit organisation that provides primary health care services in rural areas of Udaipur and Salumber district.   Most of the employees at each level, from the Head Office to the Swasth Kirans (SKs), are women.  At the community level, Swasth Kirans, all women, equivalent to ASHAs, go door to door in their locality to screen for TB patients, monitor ANC women, screen children for danger signs, advise regarding family planning and provide contraceptives. They connect the community to the clinic. They conduct community meetings with women in each of their hamlets and educate them on various topics such as nutrition, PNC, newborn care, and cleanliness each month. Some of the SKs are illiterate and learn all about healthcare after joining BHS through the training sessions. The maximum formal education they have would be up to 8th standard. Yet because of their sheer passion and to earn from work that would be helpful for the community, they work as SKs.  The ...