Aims & Objectives of EHA RCH Program
- To decrease maternal and neonatal mortality in the population served by the hospitals and community health projects of EHA
- To decrease the mortality associated with unplanned pregnancies by providing easily accessible family planning services
- To improve the health of adolescent girls and decrease the complications associated with early and too frequent childbearing.
- To upgrade facilities in every EHA hospital for the provision of high quality and affordable care including the use of standard treatment protocols, improved infrastructure and relevant staff training.
- To decrease the three delays that contribute to maternal mortality; delay in instituting adequate and appropriate care at the hospital level.
- To improve the survival of neonates who are low birth weight, premature or compromised during pregnancy by providing modern neonatal care.
- To decrease the morbidity associated with gynecological problems by early diagnosis in the community and high quality treatment at the hospital.
- To steadily improve record keeping and collect data that will inform future activities.
- To be involved in reproductive health research and criterion based audits that will help to focus on key interventions.
Key Activities of RCH program
Training
- Traditional birth attendants and community health volunteers
- Nurses: a one-year Reproductive Health Care course that aims to train nurses as 'middle level' practitioners who will be the first point of contact for women patients. The subjects covered are : obstetrics, gynecology, family planning, care of the new-born, working with communities, research methodology and teaching English as a second language.
- Junior doctors: intensive 2 weeks training as part of a three-month orientation program.
- Senior doctors: CME's, workshops and specialized training at higher centers.
Improving Infrastructure
- Buildings: renovation or new construction of maternity, labour and delivery blocks; operating theatres and emergency admission rooms.
- Equipment: provision of essential equipment like fetal dopplers,oxygen concentrators, ultrasound machines and resuscitation equipment for adults and infants.
Improving quality of services
- Reproductive Health activities are part of the hospital accreditation process, the focus of which is targeting the poor. Criterion based audit are an integral part.
- EHA has produced standard clinical practice guidelines for use in the hospitals
Some Major Projects
- A study on the incidence, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality with Hepatitis E infection in pregnancy, funded by SmithKline and Beecham. 4,500 pregnant women were part of the study at five centers.
- Training of nurses in Reproductive Health Care initiated in 1997.
- AusAid funded RCH program in 32 villages as a project of the Prem Sewa Hospital, Utraula, U.P.
- Grant from Columbia University, New York under the 'Averting Maternal Death and Disability Project' for three hospitals.
- Participation in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programme of Uppsala University, Sweden.
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