EHA

Rani Murmu looked forward to the birth of her fifth child. At 36, and already having four girls, Rani hoped it would be a boy this time. Rani is a Malto tribal. The Malto tribes are a primitive tribal group living in the hills in Jharkhand. The death rate among the Malto tribals are so high, that it exceeds the birth rate. The infant mortality rate of 147 and Maternal Mortality rate of 460 are pointers to this grave situation.

When Rani reached the last stage of labour, she came to the Prem Jyoti hospital for her delivery. During the delivery, Rani developed complications and the doctor had to do a symphysiotomy (emergency procedure) to save Rani’s life. Though the baby had passed meconium in the womb, he came out crying lustily. Rani was overjoyed to see the baby. But Rani had a difficult time after delivery with urine leakage, and had to be on catheter for a month. The efficient and loving care provided by the hospital team, helped Rani to recover completely. A satisfied Rani now regularly brings her baby to the hospital for immunizations.

The Prem Jyoti Community Hospital has been working among the Malto tribals of Jharkhand since December 1996, focusing mainly on their health needs through a network of Community Health Volunteers, peripheral clinics, and a Health centre in 140 target villages. The Malto tribals form about 10% of the population in Sahibganj District of Jharkhand. 36% of the population are Santal tribals and the rest non-tribals. The Maltos are characterized by a diminishing population, pre-agricultural level of technology and extremely low level of literacy. They live in small hamlets (10-50 houses) scattered in the districts of Sahibganj, Pakur, Godda and Dumka of Jharkhand State. Most of the villages are remote and inaccessible. A study done by India Today, a leading magazine in India, ranked Sahibganj district as the least developed in the whole country. Since the bifurcation of the Bihar state, the district has seen some visible progress, though at a very slow pace.

The entire district with a total population of over a million does not have a single, functioning referral hospital to manage complicated cases. In view of the need for basic health services for all communities, the Prem Jyoti Health Centre was opened up for the general public in 2003. This resulted in the doubling of Outpatient numbers and increase in the number of admissions. The project was upgraded as a hospital with 15 beds in 2004, continuing the community health work among the Malto people.