In a unique initiative, a non-profit organisation is helping the State government identify anaemic children and start them on the required supplements. Swades Foundation has been working in this area in six blocks of Raigad district over the past few years. With a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the State, the foundation is all set to expand its work in other areas.
Anaemia is a condition wherein one lacks healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Anaemic children, therefore, are weak, fatigued and unable to grow to their full potential. While iron deficiency is one of the major triggers, the government already has a preventive programme under which iron supplements are distributed in schools every week. “But despite these supplements, many children continue to be anaemic. The main reason is they don’t eat wholesome, nutritious meals at home. Their diet largely consists of rice and dried fish in this region, and there is no intake of leafy vegetables and other nutrient-rich vegetables. Ragi is widely grown in the area but they don’t consume it,” Neeta Harmalkar, general manager, health, Swades Foundation, said.
To plug this gap, the foundation has been testing haemoglobin levels of all schoolchildren once a year. “Children with severely low haemoglobin are referred to the rural hospital where they are put on injections and are also given blood transfusions. They are monitored until the levels are normal. Children with mild and moderate haemoglobin levels are put on a daily dose of 45 mg iron supplements for 60 to 90 days,” Ms. Harmalkar said.
While the government provides the medication, the foundation provides the testing machine, kits and training, and helps create awareness among parents and teachers, which is crucial. The therapeutic management of anaemia is focussed on schoolchildren in the age group of five to 16. Till August, the foundation has tested 43,578 children, of whom 16,129 were found to be anaemic. Of the 5,518 children who have completed treatment so far, 75% have been cured of anaemia and nearly 10% have shown progress in their haemoglobin levels. At present nearly 2,000 children are under treatment.
Collaborative approach
Founded by Ronnie and Zarina Screwvala in 2013, Swades Foundation looks at a problem with a 360-degree view. “When we talk about health, we have to look at clean drinking water, access to toilets and all other such issues in the backdrop,” Ms. Screwvala said. Problems in rural Maharashtra are complex and need a collaborative effort, she said. “One cannot work in isolation. We are working strategically with the government to create sustainable solutions and eco-systems that can function on their own.”
The MoU, signed on August 27, enables the foundation to work across the State. “We have already expanded our work to the seventh block, which is Sudhagad,” Ms. Screwvala said. The six blocks that the foundation has been working in covered 2,000 villages in Mangaon, Mahad, Mhasla, Poladpur, Shrivardhan and Tala. Besides anaemia, the foundation works in the field of eye care and paediatric cardiac care. It has carried out over 14,500 cataract surgeries and distributed over 78,800 spectacles till date.
Dr. Anup Yadav of the Directorate of Health Services, Maharashtra, said the government realises the potential of public-private partnerships to offer holistic health services. “With the aim of taking this forward and encouraging NGOs’ participation, we have signed an MoU with Swades Foundation,” he said.