Community Care – Enriching Life

By: Avnish Katoch

Harrisburg, PA, USA: In our endeavor to reach far flung areas of Himachal Pradesh, we tied up with LWH, Manali’s community outreach program in Spiti valley and financed second time their efforts to carry forward various health-related activities for laborers and local villagers.

As we are waiting for complete report, I would like to apprise our donors and supporters with ongoing work. Below facts are sent by Drs. Sheila and Laji from Spiti valley, who are running the program.

My Himachal financial support was used for three needs:

Purchase of vaccines (Hib and Hep.B)

Vitamins, nutrition supplements and deworming agents

Surgical treatment of migrant road workers.

Vaccinations:

200 doses of H. Influenza B vaccine and 500 doses of Hepatitis B were purchased.  In addition to this syringes and needles were also sourced with My Himahal funds.

As of now Drs. have given 138 Hib doses and 163 Hep.B 1st doses.

2nd and 3rd doses will be given in this month and in October. Most of these children came from Pin Valley. Plans are to cover three more main villages (Dankar, Tabo and Kibber).

Last month the villages in Pin Valley were covered (Sagnam, Tehling, Guiling, Bur, Mikkim, Kungri and Sehling).

Also funds helped finance vitamins, nutrition supplements and deworming agents, which will be be given to children under five years of age. Many of these children are malnourished and most are underweight for their age and Drs. believe that it is due to lack of regular food and ignorance about giving six balanced meals a day. Program is also doing some health education to individual parents and in their local anganwadi.

Surgical help for migrant workers:

A Nepali lady was brought to Drs. Sheila and Laji on 8th August night from the government hospital in a septic condition. She had multiple gall stones causing blockage of her duct leading to pus in the gall bladder. She was extremely sick, emaciated, dehydrated and in shock. She was not even fit for a major surgery or to be transferred to another hospital. Drs. operated her as an emergency and her gall bladder was removed under local anaesthesia. She recovered well and was discharged in a day’s time. Drs. could do this because of the availability of funds towards migrant workers.

More details of the program would follow in October.

Photos by: Drs. Sheila and Laji and staff.