Environmental sanitation, which includes cleanliness, is one of the major public health issues in India. This is the story of the work being done by Arogya Fondation of India, a part of the Ekal Movement, in 30 villages of Jhadol, Udaipur in Rajasthan. In collaboration with the Chip-In Foundation after extensive survey and planning the work started and the results were very encouraging. The comparison between the baseline and final data clearly demonstrate that the healthcare education can bring significant change in the health of the population by changing the hygiene and sanitation practices. With the help of training of the health workers, awareness of the villagers regarding sanitation and hygiene, kachra gaddha (soak pit) and the medical camps, the foundation was able to achieve its aim to improve the health and sanitation condition in all the 30 villages in Jhadol. And the result was a significant decrease in the number of patients suffering from diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, scabies, worms, cough, fever etc. Most importantly the average monthly medical expenditure of the household decreased considerably. For more information read the article in Ekal Prayas, Sept-Oct issue, link given.
