Sunday, December 5, 2010

Acwerk 2011




Acwerk Rural Development Foundation
183/1/91, Plot 7a, Fourth Cross Street, Vivekananda Avenue
New Fairlands, Salem-636016, Tamilnadu - INDIA
Phone:91.0427.2430702, Fax:91.0427.2331052, Email:acwerk1@gmail.com

Medical consultations and communication was a welcome change this year. A basic socio-educational attitude of charitable services expressed in the well-being of village people. 2429 consultations and 108 families were visited in the villages this year. We began to develop community  based awareness and screening services in villages of Omalur and Mettur. Towards the middle of the year the importance shifted to medical consultations associated with communication. Since we were unable to conduct any kind of field initiative it became necessary to improve and develop consultation practice in the health center's. A practice that has revealed to the rural people that their well-being is valued rather than the facilities that are accessible to them. The services rendered at the center's form a routine to evaluate a medical condition that is expressed in our socio-educational attitude of charitable services. We are grateful and satisfied that such a service became possible in 2010 and we are confident that we could make it better in the years to come.

When we look at the living conditions in these villages today it  challenges the need to survive. Transformation of farmers to manual workers, a gradual receding of village culture to an opportunistic living and high costs in day to day life have marred village sense. It is a great contrast to life in towns and cities. We have shared this experience and we have decided to combine forces with them to face such a challenge.

There is no dearth of health care institutions be it of the state or private. We propose a Centre in 2011 that caters to changing rural needs. A centre at Omalur rural to establish a Primary Health Centre, as our present centre requires expansion, a Textile job unit, as textile industry at Omalur is growing and a Farm to create job opportunities. An idea to educate and cultivate quality effort.

Acwerk has taken the initiative to invest in such a Centre at Omalur Rural, in purchase of a suitable place, construction and implementation of projects. We are glad to invite our associates abroad to participate in this endeavour to accomplish it. 

There are no institutions in the rural area that manages or treats disabled patients, especially Leprosy disabled. We  continue to keep in mind the importance of the cause when we proceed from here. This cause has inspired us to make and achieve many difficult tasks in the past. It is this faith that propels us to create mindful situations and be receptive to it.

We are grateful and I sincerely thank the benefactors, `Hilfswerk Indien Dr.Elisabeth Vomstein Schliengen’-Germany and `ST. Francis Leprosy Guild’, London, People and Patients from villages of Omalur and Mettur, Acwerk Staff, Members, Trustees, Auditor Mr. V. Ramesh and Associates and Well-Wisher’s at home and abroad.

Dr. T.M. Chinnaiyan
Managing Trustee

Acwerk Team

Dr. T.M. Chinnaiyan - Doctor and Managing Trustee


Athiya Chinnaiyan - Trustee and Communications
with A. Malliga - Health Worker

 D. Joseph - Health Supervisor

 J. Elizabeth - Manager Clinics with Athiya Chinnaiyan and Rubini Angel, wife of Prasath Rajkumar

 S. Daniel - Lab Technician

 K. Selvam - Health Worker

M. Pilavendran - Health Worker

Acwerk Meeting



Acwerk Meeting
Trustees, Members and Staff of Acwerk attend a monthly meeting to report and record Administrative functions, Health Care and related activities.
Meeting is held at Acwerk Salem Office between 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Each staff discuss their performance and achievement with their reports. We start with the health workers and finish with the trustees.
Reporting formats are provided by the office and staff trained to complete them. It is their pay day too. At the end of the meeting staff salaries disbursed by accounts officer after tea break.

Picture's show August Meeting in progress at Salem Office. Dr. Chinnaiyan, Doctor and Managing Trustee, J. Elizabeth, Manager Clinics, D. Joseph, Health Supervisor and J. Prasath Rajkumar, Accounts Officer are in discussion of health care activities on 07 July, 2010.
A link is provided to view Acwerk Meeting in August  2010 and details of the activities;















Medicines

M. Pilavendran, Health Worker issuing medicines to patients at Dasasamudram on
14 July, 2010 at Dasasamudram

Medicines
Medicines were issued to 2429 patients at both centre’s.
Purchases of medicines is done at Salem city on a monthly indent provided by the manager of clinic’s. A review of consumption of drugs and additional requirements is assessed by the doctor before indent is approved for purchase. 
Patients are satisfied with the medicines provided to them and have come to understand the efficacy of primary health care medication. We explain the undertone of stocking complex and potent schedule drugs at the center's and selective patients are issued prescriptions for purchase on the merit of the case.
Medicines are issued free of cost just as other facilities are and expected to. It is for this reason that patients seek medical advice that dissuades them from picking up drugs across the counter without a proper prescription.

Pictures on left;
Patients wait for medicines at Navapatty on 21 May.
Tuberculosis drugs on display - 25 June















Lab Screening

S. Daniel, Lab Technician at Dasasamudram on 14 July, 2010

Lab Screening 
468 patients were screened in lab for Skin, Tuberculosis and General Medical problems at the two center's.
Skin smear in Leprosy, Sputum smear and Tuberculin Testing in Tuberculosis is a routine carried out at the main centre three days a week. Routine screening of Tuberculosis, Diabetics and screening of General Medical problems are done on request of doctor.
Diagnostic screening is an important element in the psyche of patient. Patient’s are of the view that such an analytical evaluation supersedes medical acumen, that it is quite independent of clinical evaluation. We have to a great extent been judicious in our diagnostic screening and referrals in invasive diagnostic procedures.

Pictures on left;
Skin smear in a lady patient with early Leprosy on 12 May.
Tuberculin Testing in screening for Tuberculosis on 13 October.
Routine blood analysis in a patient with vascular problem. Stasis Ulcer, on 22 October - Navapatty Centre.
Tuberculosis screening of a boy on 25 August.
Tuberculosis screening of a girl on 21 May - Navapatty Centre.














































Communication

D. Joseph, Health Supervisor and M. Pilavendran, Health Worker meet residents of Nattamangalam village, Mettur on 09 September, 2010

Communication occupies an important place in our performance. The importance is to reach out to people and make them aware of an accessible health care and to prevent disability and chest infection. Eighteen villages at Mettur were visited this year.
The Health supervisor and his team of three Health Workers visit residents of villages, primary schools and day care centre’s at Mettur. Usually the visit is followed by a clinic at Navapatty. Duration of such visits is between 10 AM. to 4 PM.
At Omalur, the team approach patients who come to the centre for screening to spread the word in their respective villages. We had already conducted an extensive awareness and screening programme for school children and community in 2008 and 2009.
The team approach residents with an introduction of our centre’s and people who are involved. Accessible health care explained and how they could approach it. Early sings in Leprosy, Tuberculosis and their consequences explained to them.
Around 60 skin and general medical camps were conducted at Mettur that covered 165 villages, between 1999 to 2003. People are not aware of the change in location of centre and considering the difficulties in commuting it takes time to respond.
We have had good response from our visits this year and comparatively the case finding in Leprosy is more at Navapatty than at Omalur. Early Leprosy affects good number of women and children. Almost fifty percent of Leprosy detection is at Navapatty from less than ten percent of 2429 consultations this year.

Pictures on left in order of sequence;
Team at public transport stop at Chekanoor village, Mettur on 15 July
Health Supervisor with workers at Cauvery Cross village, Mettur on 12 August
Day Care visit at Gundur village, Mettur on 09 September
Team visit resident of Chekanoor village, Mettur on 23 September
A link is provided to view communication in August Clinics;





































Medical Consultations

A very elderly lady consults for pain and swelling of her knee joints at Navapatty clinic on 30 July, 2010

Medical Practitioner: Dr. T.M. Chinnaiyan
Consultations are made at Dasasamudram between 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. every Wednesday’s and two Friday’s in a month at Navapatty, fortnightly.
66 Clinics were conducted in the two center's and 2429 consultations made this year.
Forty six patients with Early Leprosy and Eighteen with Tuberculosis were diagnosed and managed at the center's. Twenty six Leprosy patients and fourteen Tuberculosis patients are under treatment.
Mostly patients consult for skin problems, general complaints such as throat infection, orthopaedic, paediatric, hypertension and diabetes.
Patients follow advice and treatment promptly. They respond well to treatment and they seek guidance in specialized management elsewhere.
A conventional method of approach in patient care still holds good. Patients respond to a friendly and personal approach about their past history and attitude. We have observed that patients approach clinics to find a remedy for their ailments and we do not encourage an experimental attitude of hopping from one centre to another.
Prescriptions are given to each patient that includes a Lab request and advice as the case may be. Referrals are made for specialized medical management and diagnostic evaluation that are not available at the centre’s. We do sponsor few referrals who are unable to afford the cost of such specialized management.

Pictures on left in order of sequence;
Sixty year old S. Ebrahim, a manual labourer from Deevatipatty village, Omalur. A treated Tuberculosis patient at a TB Sanatorium with relapse and Early Leprosy. 05 May
Sixty year old S. Pappa, a manual worker from Navapatty village, Mettur.
Diagnosed as Early Leprosy. 21 May
Sixty eight year old P. Narayanan, a manual worker from Manganikadu village, Omalur. Cured Tuberculosis patient for review. 26 May
Fifty five year old C. Chinnapillai, a manual worker from Nattamangalam village, Mettur. Prevention of Deformity Clinic, Early Leprosy review. 25 June
Forty year old S. Selvi, a manual worker from Nattamangalam village, Mettur. Trauma left ankle joint. 25 June
A link is provided to view September Clinics in German by Athiya Chinnaiyan; http://acwerkseptclinics.blogspot.com/2010/09/clinics.html





























































Acwerk Health Care Staistics 2010































































Acwerk Health Centres

53 Patients from 23 Villages attended Clinic at Dasasamudram Centre on 13 October, 2010

Acwerk Health Centre`s conducts screening in early detection of Leprosy and Tuberculosis at two Centres.
Two center's cater to the requirements, at Dasasamudram (Omalur) and Navapatty (Mettur);
1           Acwerk Rural Health Centre
                 4/121, Dasasamudram
                 Poosaripatty P.O. (Kadayampatty Block Jurisdiction)
                 Omalur Taluk, Salem District-636305, Tamilnadu - INDIA
2.          Acwerk Rural Health Centre
                 2/4.563, Mariamman Koil Street
                 Navapatty P.O. (Mettur Rural)
                 Mettur Taluk-636452, Tamilnadu - INDIA

The Centre at Dasasamudram is the main centre and functions six days a week between 10 AM to 2 PM. A manager of the Centre, a Health Supervisor, a Lab Technician, Three Health workers in distribution of Medicines and Registration of patients, a Driver and two Helpers  are involved in the functions of the Centre’s. The Navapatty Centre functions four times a month between 10 AM to 4 PM.
Screening of patients is done by the health supervisor and lab technician after the patients are registered. They are given health education and advise to consult the doctor with their preliminary reports.
Awareness of early signs of Leprosy and Tuberculosis is imparted to the patients along with the method by which they are managed at the centre. That is, on diagnosis of the relevant condition, initial medication is monitored, their medication and schedule explained, periodical lab screening and regular medical review every fifteen days.
2429 patients were registered and screened at the center's from 548 villages at Kadayampatty Block, Omalur Rural and Navapatty, Mettur Rural this year. Ninety percent of turn out were from Omalur Rural.

Pictures on left; 03 Nov. at Dasasamudram Registration Athiya Chinnaiyan (Acwerk Trustee) screening a Hypertensive patient and J. Elizabeth registering. Followed by screening and health education of a Leprosy patient by health supervisor on 04 Aug. At Navapatty on 10 Sept. and patients wait for consultation on the same day. The last picture shows two Leprosy patients at Navapatty being educated about early Leprosy by J. Elizabeth, on 24 Oct.
Navapatty Village is 47 Kms from Dasasamudram and quite interior when compared to accessible rural areas. Prevalence of Leprosy is  high in these parts.