Sambhavna believes in empowering the community and the individual to take control of its and their health. The eight community healthworkers at Sambhavna are the only ones of their kind in all Bhopal. The scope of their work is huge and includes the following activities:
Health & Healthcare Surveys
Door-to-door surveys in the affected communities to generate a data on the demography, health and healthcare status of the residents, as well as their social, economic and environmental condition. Healthworkers also identify persons in need of special medical attention and ensure that this is made available either at the Sambhavna clinic or elsewhere.
TB Care & Health Education
Sambhavna pays special attention to the control of TB at a community level. Despite official knowledge regarding the unusually high prevalence of TB in the survivor population (over three times the national average) there are no official initiatives in this direction.
Sambhavna’s work in TB care consists mainly of education, identification of people with symptoms, supervision of treatment and constant health monitoring. Much of this work is shared by patient leaders- recovered TB patients in the community- who provide much effective inspiration and guidance.
Monitoring & House Visits
Monitoring the health of people receiving care at Sambhavna through house visits is an activity that distinguishes the Clinic from others. This is carried out in order to:
- evaluate the quality of care and patient satisfaction
- find out the efficacy of treatment (or its absence) among drop-outs
- ensure compliance of treatment regimes.