What is Community Health?
Community health is nothing more than the health of the communities with whom we work. Although it is a part of public health, it has more emphasis on the geographical focus of where the particular community under study is located. A study of community health suits best for NGOs because it is not concerned with other issues which are not related to their community. However, specific research on the health of particular communities may be largely missing. So it is finally up to the organizations themselves to do the research and then apply methods to address the health problems. To do the research, there needs to be some initial training about health.
Are we going to be doctors?
Before we take up health training, we need to understand that we are not trying to become doctors. But we are only trying gain some basic health information about primary health care, particularly preventive health care so that the same knowledge is passed on to the communities for their empowerment.
Community health volunteers projects implemented around the world have proved that fact that training of illiterate village women on basic preventive healthcare can improve the overall health indicators of the community. So taking cue from this, we are taking our mission forward.
Who will take the training?
If the NGO staff is available, then they can take up this health training. But keeping the NGO staff can be expensive unless if there are voluntary workers. There may be lot of youths in your area, willing to do something. Female youths can be more effective in health projects. But there will be the need to convince for this work, which may have a potential in future to earn money. Select a group of voluntary youths for the training by convincing them that you are doing something for the good, better than doing nothing. They will be at least benefited from the knowledge they will get.
Where to get the training?
This is the most important question, but also very challenging to answer. Accessibility to information is difficult in least developing countries and more difficult in more remote locations of these countries. However, NGOs with good internet access can find tremendous amount of health information available online. One most popular resource book is the Hesperian Foundation’s Where there is no doctor, updated frequently and translated in over 100 languages. True to its title, it provides in-depth information and knowledge about primary healthcare and how communities can use and benefit from it without consulting a real doctor. The book is available for free download at this link.
You can also search for other resource material on community health on Google.
Visit your nearest healthcare center, where you can collect health literature in your local language. This may be very useful later for disseminating health information to the community.
Enquire about any upcoming health trainings organized by other NGOs and institutions free of cost in your country. You can search information about such trainings in health institutes, NGO networks and even online.
Get acquainted to a local doctor. Despite the need to work with little support of a qualified medical doctor, you may still need one for support throughout your healthcare service project. Identify a friendly doctor and try to convince him of your idea, which is a great way to serve the community, but there is also potential for revenue in the future. Try to persuade the doctor to offer his or her services once a week by visiting the community. If he/she agrees to provide the service free, it’s great! If not, you need to make some investment here. The doctor may not be necessary for treatment, but rather for consultation, which he or she can offer at subsidized cost. You can also search for volunteer doctors.
Initial trainings can take place for a week or so to help local volunteers understand the basics of community healthcare. But health training is ongoing process and regular and refresher trainings should be part of the schedule.
