PRESENTACIÓN DEL PLAN DE TRABAJO
LOS EDUCADORES
7. En tu opinión, ¿Crees que los adolescentes en general se sienten involucrados en la transformación de la sociedad? ¿Por qué?
For women the most common illnesses included headaches, stomach-aches, fever, and fatigue. Children got coughs, colds, fever, diarrhoea and scabies. When children were sick, parents took them to the health centre for treatment. Most used the local NGO’s health centre. Families did not spend any money either to go or at this health centre. If they chose to use health services in town, then they could spend up to 50 rupees per trip. Most families did not use home remedies or local healers. Some stated that if they knew how to make home remedies they would use them alongside the allopathic treatment. Similarly in some cases where families had access to a local healer, they would make use of them also. For major illnesses, some families said they would go to the temple and pray. Women did not need permission to go to the health centre.
“No one decides when we should go to the health centre, we just go when our children are sick. Can we wait for the men if they are not around? So we Just go. ”
Women could go alone, but they usually preferred to go in company. They would go on their own if the health centre were close to their home. Women felt that there was no difference between boys and girls. " We treat all the children the same, can we separate girls and boys? They are from the same womb. ”
There were no problems at the health centre. They only provided health services. There were no growth monitoring activities, and sometimes the wait at the clinic was long. There was a nurse midwife who visits all the hamlets monthly.
Scheduled caste
The most common illnesses for adults were head colds, coughs, fever, fatigue, diarrhoea, and stomachaches. Children most frequently got diarrhoea, coughs, colds and fever. Using home remedies or a local healer was rare, parents were afraid their children would get worse. There was a strong preference for private health care over government services. Most felt that they were not cared for properly at government centres. The total cost of health care per trip was anywhere from 50-200 rupees per trip. The most common problem was distance to the health centres (5-15 km) and the lack of public transport. In some cases there were buses but they were unreliable. The opportunity cost was high in that families lost a day’s wages and time in terms of time away from other productive activities. Also families commonly had to borrow money from richer families to have the funds to go to the PHC. Women needed their husbands’ permission and money from them to go to the PHC.
“I f we go without asking our husbands permission they would throw us over and beyond Yelandur (district town) "
It was uncommon for women to go alone - they usually went with family members given the time and distance to the PHC centre. Many women and children did feel that boys and girls were treated differently. With limited resources they admitted that the family was more likely to get proper care for boys. Some felt that such differences only became apparent when girls and boys were older. Others felt there was no difference at all. In some villages a nurse midwife was seen, but this was rare - and she did not provide any medicines or remedies. Families only took their children to the PHC when a child was sick.
“ We don’t get anything from the hospital - they don 7 even give us one tablet. ”
Backward caste
The most common illnesses for adults were fever, headaches, stomachaches, backaches, fatigue, coughs and colds. Children mainly got fever coughs, colds and diarrhoea. Most women felt that children were ill frequently, up to once in three months. Families predominantly preferred to go to the private clinics for treatment. They felt that government services were inadequate and did not provide them with good treatment. The most common problem in getting to the health centres was the distance. There was no reliable public transport, and going to the health centre could take an entire day. The opportunity cost was high and families lost a day’s wages and time from other productive activities. The total cost per trip to the health centre was 50-200 rupees. Families often had to borrow money to be able to go to the health centre.
“We have only two children. I f something happens to them what do we do? We would rather go without food and use that money to get health care for our children to get better. ”
“I f we had more children, we would worry less, but that is not the case now. We will take a loan if we have to from the landowners and say we will work for you - please lend us some money so we can take our children to the health centre. ”
“People who can afford health care go to hospitals, others suffer for a week. After a week the fever will subside on its own. ”
“The government nurse visits whenever she likes. Neither does she enquire about any health problems, nor does she inform us about health matters. She just writes the date of her visit on the wall
o f our house and goes away. ”
Most felt that both girls and boys were treated the same when they were small. Differences in caring for girls and boys were more common in older children.
Women generally needed permission and company to go to the health centres. More women went to the health centres, but they needed company to go. Elders and men usually decided if and when to go to the health centre.