Jamkhed CRHP Hospital

(visit www.jamkhed.org for more information)

The Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed operates a 40-bed low-cost secondary care hospital providing quality emergency, medical, surgical, and outpatient care for the 1.5 million people residing in the surrounding 8 block catchment area. Each year about 20,000 outpatients receive treatment, 250 deliveries take place (high-risk referrals), and 400 surgical procedures are performed. Most deliveries take place in the village and because we provide extensive training for VHWs (village health workers) and birth attendants these deliveries are very safe. Women with any sign of complication during pregnancy are promptly referred to our hospital.

The provision of curative services has been found to be an essential component in establishing the sustainability of all primary health-related activities and programs. Ensuring an adequate referral network and providing easily accessible quality care at an affordable cost has also done much to enhance the credibility of VHWs and improve the health of these rural communities. The hospital acts as referral center for health problems that cannot be dealt with in the villages by VHWs.

Only 20% of the patients are from the project villages, as most health problems are resolved at the community level. Low cost and financial sustainability is achieved by having a basic yet very effective facility (building, furnishings, equipment and supplies), using effective but inexpensive medicines (rational drug therapy), and keeping costs down to a minimum in surgery and other areas of patient care as long as quality of care is not compromised. Relatives assist the nurses in many aspects of patients care, contributing to lower costs and faster recovery times. Patients who are able to pay are charged basic fees for the services in order to support the hospital and allow us to extend care to more of those who truly have no means to obtain even basic medical services.

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