Maternal & Child Health Care Interventions

Motivation, awareness raising and dissemination of knowledge through different means and media are the most important software activities under the program to improve overall health status. Thus software supports comprise all the services, which lead to sustainable behavioral change. Keeping this in mind, awareness raising on health related issues within the community people is considered as one of the most important activities through out the reporting period.

A total of 88,759 community people were aware on health related issues against the project target of 108,936 community people, which indicates more than 81% achievement.

Among many health related issues, awareness activities were carried out on personal hygiene practice, dehydration & importance of ORS, Antenatal Care (ANC), Post Natal Care (PNC), delivery care, health & nutrition, family planning, water & sanitation, immunization, etc.

The program staff organized small and large level group meetings, made household visits and showed video film and arranged audio folk songs to raise awareness and motivate the target people. Several Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) materials like posters, leaflets, flipcharts, stickers etc. were mainly used for different promotional activities.

To achieve the objectives under Maternal Health Care program BEES is providing antenatal, postnatal and delivery care by establishing and strengthening linkage among govt. and non-govt. hospitals/clinics and operating a mentionable number of satellite and static clinics. During the reporting period, more than 15% deliveries were done safely by BEES qualified persons, while about 48% deliveries of the total were done by the BEES’s trained Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs).

A total of 1448 pregnant mothers received at least 3 times ANC services and 788 mothers received at least one PNC service within 42 days after their deliveries against the annual targets of 1655 and 1016 mothers respectively, which signifies about 88% and 78% achievements respectively.

Again a total of 116 at risk delivery cases were referred to the govt. hospitals and clinics during the reporting session against the annual target of 174. About 96% of the pregnant mothers received TT vaccine at least twice during their pregnancy period, while 59% of the women aged 15-49 received the TT vaccine at least twice during the reporting period 2002-2003.

In regard to provide services under Child Health Care, a total of 756 children under 1 years were fully immunized against the annual target of 749 children, which indicates more that 100% achievement. Regarding distribution of vitamin ‘A’ capsules, a total of 10,359 children under 5 yrs. received vitamin ‘A’ capsules fulfilling the target of 10,359. Similarly 100% of the children under 5 years received treatment of ARI, diarrhoea and other diseases during the reporting period 2002-2003.

Status of Maternal & Child Health Care during 2002-2003

Family Planning Interventions

Family Planning is one of the most important and vital components of BEES health program. The program staff put their earnest efforts to raise awareness about the benefits of small family size and increase the percentage of users of family planning devices through motivation.

The community based MCH-FP program of BEES was registered under the Family Planning Directorate of Govt. of Bangladesh. Therefore, the program staff received family planning devices from the Upazila Family Planning Offices and distributed the materials among the fertile couples within the community in one month round. Oral Pills and Condoms were distributed to the beneficiaries against a normal service charge, while the methods IUD and Injection were provided by the Paramedics at the BEES operated static and satellite clinics and eligible couples were referred to the GO/NGO clinics for adopting the methods – Tubectomy, Vasectomy and Norplant. At the end of reporting period, more than 72% of the eligible couples adopted family planning methods. Among the adopters (i.e. 72% couples) 48% of the eligible couples adopted Oral Pill and Condom while 24% of the couples adopted IUD, Injection, Vasectomy, Tubectomy and Norplant.

Under general health care services and nutrition education to the community people, program staff carried out various types of activities during the reference period. The program staff provided preventive and curative primary health services through a total of 660 satellite clinics while about 300 satellite clinics were arranged jointly with EPI. Moreover, 1,514 EPI centers were arranged jointly with GoB. During the reporting session 2003-2003, over 4,000 patients received basic curative health services for different common diseases