Centre for Development Orientation and Training (CDOT)
Promoting health seeking behavior and strengthening health insurance ecosystem
CURRENT IMPACT
As on November 2022
450
Community Health Facilitators trained
657,000
households reached
134,000
people vaccinated
10,00,000
people reached with COVID messaging
Geographical Focus
- Bihar & Jharkhand
Potential Impact
- Reach
450,000
lives
R.R. Kalyan Executive Director, CDOT
Health-seeking behaviour is a major issue in India, particularly in parts of Bihar and Jharkhand. People are unaware of the consequences of ignoring health issues. Often communities rely on home remedies to address general health problems which often result in major health ailments later on. SAMRIDH’s support helped us in running daily operations as well as other capacity building expenses to jumpstart programs across districts in Bihar and Jharkhand. This partnership has opened up new possibilities to raise capital for expansion and growth across the healthcare sector in India. With continued support from SAMRIDH, we look forward to enhancing the reach in giving healthcare solutions to the unserved rural community.
Samridh support
SAMRIDH has supported the Centre for Development Orientation and Training (CDOT) to train and deploy 450 Community Health Facilitators (CHFs) and establish a CHF resource center to provide support beyond the life of this project. The commission earned from the sale of health products – such as health insurance, masks, sanitizers and sanitary napkins – will strengthen CDOT’s revenue stream and sustain the project staff in the long run.
Rural India suffered disproportionately from the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, reporting one in every two cases. 73% of rural population in Bihar were either unable to travel to medical facilities, or were left unattended due to overcrowding during COVID 19. There is a lack of validated and transparent information regarding COVID-19 prevention measures available to the communities, and the high costs and access barriers of formal healthcare further act as deterrents. Poor awareness of the various social welfare schemes offered to vulnerable communities is an added challenge. The eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand rank lowest among Indian states when it comes to household health insurance coverage (NFHS-4). In Bihar, only 54% of eligible families are covered under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme.
Strengthening the Cadre of ‘Community Health Facilitators’
Recognising the aforementioned gaps in healthcare delivery, Centre for Development Orientation and Training (CDOT), is training Community Health Facilitators (CHFs) in Bihar and Jharkhand to enrol people into health insurance, improve health-seeking behaviour, increase COVID-19 awareness, educate community members on treatment and mitigation measures, and increase vaccine uptake, thus reducing the burden on healthcare facilities and adverse impact of healthcare expenses. The CHFs are selected from marginalized and underprivileged communities and trained to increase their competency on advising and referring community members to appropriate resources and spreading awareness on several health issues. Their larger aim is to set up a safety net by increasing the enrolment of communities under national security schemes and health insurance services.
By equipping community members with these skills, CDOT is playing a key role in enabling the last-mile delivery of healthcare services. Through training and capacity building of CHFs, they are contributing towards building an enduring culture of health through the establishment of a sustainable community support system.
Key Stakeholders
