Introduction

The Minimum Intervention Package of Health Service (MIPS) project aims to reach out to the disadvantaged remote community of the Ghat block, cut off from the main stream on account of various geographical and historical reasons with an integrated standardized package of the of the basic health service which forms the core of the public health service delivery system. The project is an innovative pilot experiment of the government, in which an NGO is entrusted to shoulder the responsibility of the government health services. Voluntary organization Shri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA) is to provide a comprehensive list of health services to the community at village level, Nyay Panchayat, sub-block and block level in Ghat.

The primary objective under this project is to provide RCH services to the community of Ghat, which by and large has remained marginalized until now. The Prevention, Promotion and Cure approach known popularly as the PPC approach has been adopted in the project. Thus activities related to prevention and cure of disease and promotion of health education and awareness form the components under the program.

The basic objectives of the MIPS project are:

• First Aid and Referral Services-For all kind of general emergencies like fall, insect and snake bites, poisonings, accidents, trauma, shocks etc.
• Primary treatment of minor illness: For fever, headache, cough and cold, infection, pain, boils etc.
• Primary treatment and referral of the six communicable diseases: Diarrhea, Jaundice, Typhoid, Fever, RTI, Tuberculosis, Skin disorder (scabies)
• Child and Maternal Care: For pregnant, lactating women and children ante-natal, neo-natal and post natal check up, nutritional education safe deliveries, new born care, immunization, family planning education.
• Identification, referral and subsequent follow-up of the chronic disease-Tuberculosis, Leprosy, RTI, Skin disorder etc
• Promote Behavior Change Communication-Disseminate information on family planning, sanitation and hygiene, RTI/STI, HIV-AIDS and generate awareness for behavior change. FLE for youth and adolescents.
• To build up a proactive, positive and participatory relationship between all public and private health service providers.

Working Area: (Block:) Ghat [Vikas Nagar]

The working area of the MIPS project is Ghat block in district Chamoli of Uttaranchal. Ghat is one of the most backward and remote block in Uttaranchal and is 74 km. from its district headquarter Gopeshwar, Chamoli and 254 km. away from the state capital Dehradun respectively The geographical area of the Block is about 10393 Hectares and it has a population of 31105 (as per the 2004 survey). Under the MIPS project 89 villages (100% village) of block Ghat are being covered. The total numbers of household covered are 6347 with 77 villages having a population of more than 500.

The development scenario is pretty bad with deteriorating services, infrastructure and access to public facilities of education, health, transportation and livelihood. The poverty and the ignorance of the common mass aggravate the grimness of the development scenario. The development indicators of health are low with poor immunization, high IMR and MMR, large family size and a sex ratio as low as 923 and 868(in the 0-6 age group).

The existing public health structure services and infrastructure in the block are 1Primary health care centre in the block headquarter (Ghat), 6 allopathic dispensaries, 3 SAD, 6 sub centres run by Animate total number of health personnel inclusive of doctor, Pharmacist, ANM, Vaccine Supervisor appointed in the block are 26.