JOIN USSulabh International will introduce 50 health centres near its toilet complexes in an effort to combine health with sanitation.
The centres will provide basic health care facilities at Rs five consultaion fee- to the local communities.
“Many of our toilet complexes are located in slums and other locations where no cheap primary health care facility is available. As thousand of people visit these toilets, there can be ready help for minor ailments,” said Bindeshwar Pathak, founder, Sulabh International.
The NGO has planned to put the proposal to the Delhi Government for the next financial year. People will be able to avail services of allopathic, homeopathic as well as ayurvedic doctors.
“We have introduced drinking water in some of our complexes. I feel sanitation and safe drinking water are also part of health. So, we can start our health centres if we can find a small room within toilet complexes,” said Pathak.
The helath centres will charge Rs 5 as consultation fee and provide 10 to 12 medicines like pain-killers and paracetamols at market rate. Sulabh will charge 25 per cent of the share in an earning, leaving the rest for the doctors.
“We also plan to focus on family planning. Contraceptive pills, condoms and other family planning material will be available in our health centres. We will also keep instruments to check blood pressure,” informed Pathak.
The NGO recently started a unit to produce sanitary napkins. Napkins will be sold for Rs 3-3.50 each at the centres.
At the headquarter of Sulabh International in Palam, South Delhi, a model health centre is being run with an allopathic doctor in the morning and a homeopathic consultant in the afternoon.
“We give indigenous medicines and homeopathic treatment as they are in high demand here. If there is no case of emergency, then people prefer these treatments,” said Dr Ravindra Kumar, homeopathic doctor at the centre.
Some of the locations proposed are Azadpur Sabzi Mandi and all the metro rail stations where Sulabh manages toilet complexes.