ABSTRACT
Background- Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram was launched in 2013, to reduce mortality and morbidity in children due to prevalent birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, and developmental delays. The strategy employed is early detection and management of health conditions. Mobile health teams (MHTs) and District early intervention centers (DEIC) are set up for screening, management, and referral of beneficiaries. Methodology – A concurrent mixed method study was conducted in Uttarakhand for exploring challenges faced by clients and to assess client satisfaction regarding services provided under the program. Caregivers of beneficiaries were interviewed telephonically about the challenges they faced while availing the facilities. Result- It was found that out of 41 caregivers of beneficiaries, 13 (31.7%) faced challenges while availing the services, and 2 (4.87%) were dissatisfied with the services. Challenges faced by caregivers were out-ofpocket expenditure on transportation, food and stay, long time in referral and unavailability of beds, unavailability of medicines, and failed treatment. Conclusion- The majority of the caregivers were satisfied with the referral and treatment provided. RBSK provides free-of-cost treatment to children but the indirect cost that the caregivers have to pay for travel, stay and multiple visits pose a challenge for utilization of the services.
ABSTRACT
Abstracts: Background and Objectives: Internship is ideal period to train the medical graduates and apply their knowledge for benefit of society. It is mandatory for interns to undergo three months training in rural area where they have to learn some basic skills as given my Medical council of India. It is important to assess the learning environment in rural health centres for effective learning. Methodology: Interns posted in year 2014-2015 were given the structured questionnaire to rate learning environment in terms of physical, intellectual and emotional plane. Results: Interns were not satisfied with physical environment. The emotional support and supervision was appreciated by interns but it did not sensitized them to work in rural area. They also had good hand on experience but the orientation programme was poorly conducted. Conclusion: The learning environment was very poor specially in terms of infrastructure.