Health Care Facilities

Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna once said to 'Naren' (Swami Vivekananda), "if you can see him (God) when you close your eyes, why can't you see Him when you open your eyes?' He always wanted Swamiji to serve the poor, the downtrodden, the ignorant, the sufferer and also the sinner. While he was travelling extensively from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Swami Vivekananda was shocked to see the miserable condition of the people of India. He was touched by the ignominy of their existence. The inexplicable agony of the common people propelled him to preach the doctrine-'Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva'. He earnestly wanted to do something for the deprived section of the society. Swami Vivekananda had a special message for the present modern age, "He, who serves Jiva; serves God indeed." The first health care facility provided to the locality by the Mission since its inception is the homoeopathy dispensary. It expanded slowly to the districts of Bankura, Midnapore and Bardhaman when the Pallimangal of the Mission started Eye Operation and Mobile Medical unit in 1980. Finally, all the systems of treatment like Allopathy, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathy started functioning under one roof when the Charitable Dispensary and Eye Care Centre was established in 1995 with the grant from the Govt. of India, MPLADS and Kirpalani Foundation.

Mobile Medical Unit

Since the inception of Pallimangal regular medical service is provided to different villages free of cost through the mobile medical van. Presently such clinics are held at 4 centers, once in a week at each place. Those are Kamarpukur & Balidewanganj in the district of Hooghly and Jayrambati & Koalpara in Bankura district. The team consists of a general physician. compounder, driver, attendant and local volunteers headed by a monastic member. Service through mobile medical unit was provided for 163 days during the year. Total number of 21956 patients were treated at 4 centers of which 4648 were male. 10781female and 6527 children.

Special Medical Program

Special clinics on Pediatrics, Dental treatment, ENT, Gynaecology, Eye Refraction Test etc. are held at regular intervals. Reputed physicians form Kolkata, Burdwan, Arambagh etc. provide free service for this purpose. Following table provides some details of such clinics conducted during the year

Eye Operation Camp

Free eye operation camp for poor cataract patients are conducted annually at Kamarpukur. Starting from operation, presently most of which are microsurgery (IOL). to distribution of spectacles total service is provided to the patients free of cost. Patients from all the 4 adjoining districts viz. Hooghly, Bankura, Burdwan and Midnapore West avail the benefit. A team of reputed eye surgeons from Kolkata conduct the operations assisted by experienced nurses and volunteers. After operation the patients are kept at the camp for a few days under the supervision of eye surgeons in order to minimize post-operative complications. 22nd eye operation camp was held during the year wherein 131 no of patients were operated. upon of which 125 with IOL. After subsequent follow-up camps and refraction tests spectacles were provided to all the patients free of cost. So far a total of 2,811 cataract patients have been operated upon through Pallimangal.

National Leprosy Elimination Programme

This programme has been launched by Pallimangal . It is sponsored by the State Leprosy Society as well as German Leprosy Relief Association, 29 Gram panchayat'areas of Goghat-I, Goghat-II, Arambagh and Pursurah blocks and 10 wards under Arambagh municipality are covered by Pallimangal under this project. The programme involves door to door survey, case detection, providing medicines under Multi Drug Therapy, follow-up service, health education etc. Out of a total population of 5,32,053 in the operational area 2,50,955 persons have already been examined for leprosy. 1113 persons have been finally detected to contain the disease of which 232 are undergoing treatment and the rest 881 have completed the course and released from treatment. Adequate care is being taken to prevent deformity/disability of the patients and 35 of them have been supplied with MCR shoes. 535 nos. of health education programmes were organized during the year at different schools, clubs, panchayat offices etc.

Tuberculosis Control Programme

India accounts for nearly one third of the global burden of Tuberculosis. There are 14 million cases of TB in India which kills 5,00,000 patients every year i.e. one patient dies of TB every minute. In India, Tuberculosis kills 400 times more people than leprosy. Pallimangal launched the programme on 'Control of Tuberculosis through Community Based Directly Observed Treatment with Short-Course-Therapy (DOTS)' under 'Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP)'. The Programme is being implemented in partnership with CARE, India in the areas under Goghat-I. Ghoghat-I, Arambagh blocks and Arambagh municipality. The project primarily involves health education and awareness generation amongst the common mass through Information, Education and Campaign (IEC). So far 111. of DOTS providers have been trained and 33 cases have been detected to be highly infectious sputum positive. 82 awareness generation camps were organized during the year at different schools, colleges, panchayat offices and other public places.

National Blindness Control Programme

This programme has been consistently followed up for last twenty six years. Since the year 2005-2006, the operation are being carried out in the newly established eye care centre. Screening for IOL operation, scanning of eye, biometry for power testing of IOL, operation, refraction, medical treatment, spectacle distribution, health education and referral service, investigation facilities are being provided at our Ramakrishna Mission Charitable Dispensary & Eye Care Centre, Kamarpukur as follows:

National HIV AIDS Control Programme

AIDS has also become one of the major burning public health issues in India for decades. This programme has been started since 2006, in collaboration with the German Leprosy Relief Association. The areas taken up are allotted Goghat-I & II Blocks, Arambagh Block, Arambagh & Tarakeswar Municipality under NACP project. The programme envisages interpersonal IEC, Group IEC, Health education campaign in the project area. The specific geographical areas have been entrusted to eleven Field Workers (PMW), two Supervisors (NMS) and one Doctor.

Child Nutrition Programme

It is our humble and honest attempt to fight against the problem of malnutrition, among the school going children. Nutritious diet is being provided daily to the poor school going children throughout the year at our office premises. Milk powder, Biscuits, at Kamarpukur were also distributed during this period. Free-hand rhythmical exercise (Vratachari) among the children is being practiced.

Nutrition Programme

Malnutrition is a menace to the child health in rural areas. In a humble attempt to address the problem at least in a small scale nutritious diets like milk, biscuits, eggs, fruits etc. are provided daily to 100-150 poor children throughout the year at Kamarpukur. Apart form this distribution of milk to poor children and expectant mothers is done at close intervals from different village centers. 1200 such beneficiaries form 550 families living in 14 villages were served during the year utilizing 800 kg. milk powder. The women workers of the cottage industries project viz. weaving , jute handicrafts and incense sticks manufacturing who are working at the workshop at Kamarpukur are provided with mid-day supplementary nutrition free of cost.

Gadadhar Herbal Resource Garden

Gadadhar Herbal Resource Garden was established in 2005-2006 to make the people aware about the importance of cultivation of medicinal plants for applying the same as household and domestic remedy. More than 180 medicinal plants collected from different regions of the country are being cultivated around the Haldarpukur tank. A seminar was organised on “Community Based Herbal Health System” on18th February ‘07 during the birthday celebration of Sri Ramakrishna Dev. More than one thousand delegates and eminent scientists and specialists participated in the said programme.