RAJSHAHI, April 18, 2022 (BSS) - Awareness campaigns conducted by different government and non-government organisations have been encouraging rural people to get medicare services at health complexes for the last couple of years in the region.

Many people, including the expectant mothers, are seen availing services from Upazila Health Complexes, Union Health and Family Welfare Centers, Union Sub Centres (USC) and Community Clinics (CC) amid motivation and counseling.

"We have seen massive programmes to boost public awareness about the service delivery activities in rural facilities marking the World Health Day (WHD) 2022 on April 7 last," said Dr Golam Robbani, Bagmara Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer in the district, on Sunday.

He said engagement of local government institution representatives were ensured in the community awareness programmes so that they can contribute to this field.

Dr Rabbani said they got support from the Public Health Improvement Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR) project to hasten the community mobilization.

He said the community volunteers were oriented on behalf of the project and they are playing a vital role in giving health education to the pregnant mothers by their flip chart.

DASCOH Foundation has been implementing the PHIIR project supported by Swiss Red Cross (SRC) at five upazila health complexes, 27 Union Health and Family Welfare Centres, 15 USC and 110 Community Clinics under Bagmara, Charghat and Tanore upazilas in Rajshahi and Porsha and Sapahar in Naogaon.
 
The project is intended to improve the health status of the targeted population with a special focus on maternal, neonatal and child health at primary health care centres.

Tozammel Haque, Project Manager of PHIIR, said 106 expectant mothers were given antenatal cares (ANC), while 102 mothers postnatal cares (PNC) and 10 youths adolescent cares.
As a part of mass awareness campaign, the discussions feature various issues, including safe delivery services with ANC and PNC, health facilities by Union Health and Family Welfare Centers, roles and responsibilities of facility management committees and health education.

Haque said the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is determined to run the health facilities effectively for betterment of the rural people.

So, they are working here to supplement the government endeavour through reactivating many health facilities.

"We have, so far, provided 4,233 ANC, 663 PNC, 4,645 family planning and 141,357 general and 13,371 child health care and 148 normal delivery services in the project covering areas," added Haque, giving an overview of the project activities.