Health Outreach
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The medical team consists of a doctor and 2 nurses. On a daily basis the mobile clinic visits two of the Veerni villages to provide healthcare and health education to these isolated desert areas where few health facilities exist. These health activities include the following:

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ANAEMIA

Anaemia detection and treatment with iron supplements have become important activities for the medical team. In India more than 50 % of adult women are anaemic, a percentage that is much higher in rural Rajasthan. Furthermore, most children and young girls turn out to be at risk, with 60 to 70 % of adolescent girls being anaemic.

Anaemia among women can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes and severe anaemia can lead to maternal deaths; reduced work productivity and impaired physical capabilities are other adverse outcomes. Adolescence, as a period of growth and development, is considered the best time to intervene, to assist in physical and mental development, and to prevent later maternal anaemia. Despite the magnitude of the problem, no strategies exist in Indian public health programs to tackle iron deficiency in adolescent girls.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS in India India's HIV population has increased by more than 10% in the past year. India now has some 2.8 million people living with HIV, more than any other country in the world. In 1992, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was established but initially failed to focus on the causes of the disease. It was preoccupied with cleaning the blood supply and screening foreigners. At the 2006 meeting of the Asia Society, Dr. Sujatha Rao, the Secretary and Director General of NACO confessed that the early government strategy was flawed in that it took almost a decade to understand HIV.

NACO is rolling out a national HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment program, focusing on six high-prevalence states, targeting marginalized populations. Sex workers and truck drivers have been the main focus. However, 57% of infections occur in rural India and 37% of reported cases in people between the ages 15-29. According to UN Population Division estimates, nearly 50 million Indians will die from AIDS-related diseases between 2015 and 2050.

Increased mobility, economic development and urbanization exacerbate women's HIV risk. Women now comprise 38% of the infected population, yet 70% of women in rural areas have never heard of the virus. A married woman’s ability to negotiate safe sex is almost non-existent. In 2004, the India Post reported that 22% of cases were among housewives with a single partner. Women who contract HIV from their husbands are often blamed and ostracized by their communities (Priya Bery and Chapal Mehry).

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TRAINING OF DAI MIDWIVES

The Veerni nurses train the traditional birth attendants to improve their skills and make them aware of hygienic conduct. Dais, or midwives, deliver around 50% of India's children, a number that is much higher in rural Rajasthan. However the state does not recognise these traditional practitioners. As many villages have limited access to any type of transportation, women are often dependent on the dais to deliver their baby. Veerni ensures that the midwives are properly trained and equip them with birthing kits to aid in safe deliveries.

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