Despite India’s impressive economic growth, access to and the quality of healthcare is limited. Health education and awareness raising is a key priority for CINI.
- Only 44% of children between 12-23 months are fully immunized against the six major preventable diseases.
- Nearly 80% of infants have anaemia.
- Only 52% have at least three antenatal care visits.
- Only 39% have access to government services for antenatal care and delivery.
CINI’s philosophy is to build the capacity of existing Government services, rather than create parallel services. This involves supporting their work, increasing their knowledge, building their capacity, helping them to advocate for a better infrastructure and resources, and encouraging the involvement of women in the local community.
Only where there is a clear gap do they provide clinical services. To that end CINI currently operates a series of drop-in clinics at their headquarters in south east Kolkata. Pregnant women and women with young children consult doctors and health workers for pre-natal care, breast feeding, nutrition, vaccination and childhood illnesses.
Health workers educate women about:
- Their health and the health of their children.
- How to take care of themselves when they are pregnant and while breastfeeding.
- Family planning.
- The benefit of birthing in clinical settings.
- The importance of child vaccination.
- Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Other CINI healthcare programs concentrate on ensuring women and adolescents access government provided iron and folic acid supplements and food rations. CINI also provides a specialist program to support the medical, psychological and economic wellbeing of children affected by HIV/AIDS and improve the lives of those already diagnosed.
