Jan Swasthya Sahyog

Recognizing the disease burden, deprivation, lack of hygiene and even of the most basic  facilities required for survival, a team of doctors, most of whom were trained at AIIMS,  Delhi and CMC, Vellore, shared a common desire to do something to change the landscape of rural healthcare in Central India which is characterised by debilitating poverty and social discrimination. They chose to work in this sea of neglect and dedicate their skills and experiences to improve the living conditions of people by developing an effective, low cost, high-quality community-based health care system that would be readily accessible to the rural poor and a model for the delivery of care in low-resource settings. A brainchild of this shared vision, Jan Swasthya Sahyog, literally People’s Health Support Group, has been operating in rural Chhattisgarh for the past 21 years primarily through an intensive  village health programme in 72 forest and forest fringe villages and a referral centre in  Ganiyari for advanced clinical care. Over time, our work expanded to 7 districts of Madhya Pradesh as well. The population served belong to poorer sections of the society (Adivasi, Dalit and backward classes) with main occupation being agriculture or agroforestry. Inpatient services with 100 beds, 4 major operation theatres and a labour room provide high-quality surgical services to more than 32,000 patients. Where needed, we have been able to organise proper referral for tertiary care necessary in illnesses among the poorest and also work closely with public facilities to improve maternal and neo-natal healthcare provision in M.P. as well as in Chhattisgarh. Apart from these, we also run a nursing school for tribal girls and a DNB programme for General Surgery and Family Medicine residents at our Ganiyari centre.

To learn more, do visit: https://www.jssbilaspur.org/