NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, July 20, 2015

It is common knowledge that health care services in rural India are not easily accessible and health awareness among the people is poor. Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), a learning and development organization has stepped in to improve the situation in rural Maharashtra through a programme called Arogya Sakhi reports The Better India.

Arogya Sakhi empowers women in the community to become health care workers and provide health care services by training them to conduct medical tests for rural women. These women are also called community health friends or sakhis and are equipped to create health awareness and collect health information.

The sakhis charge a nominal fee of Rs. 150 from each beneficiary, which includes cost of generation of report, printing charges, doctor’s fee, conducting tests, and even delivering the reports at door steps. After accounting for all costs, a sakhi is usually able to earn Rs. 50 to Rs. 70 per beneficiary. This helps them become self-dependent as well as take on new public roles as entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers.

The service includes conducting basic tests using blood pressure machines, glucometers and recording the information on the tablet which is then accessed via the cloud by a physician. Data is reviewed with the help of experts and a reports is generated within 2 days.