Health

In December 2013, Total Health initiated a comprehensive mandal level Household and Family Health Survey, to understand and tackle the health and socio-economic needs of the population residing across 195 villages of the 32 gram panchayats of Thavanampalle Mandal, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. We took the same baseline survey to Amrabad, Telangana, across 4 mandals and 45 pentas, in 2020. Under the Health umbrella, Total Health has established four distinct pillars that form the foundation for providing holistic health services to the communities we serve.

CARE

One of Total Health’s main priorities has been to mitigate the occurrence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer through allopathy as well as ayurveda and yoga. Acting on the health data we collected from mandals in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we brought regular management and follow up in a way that builds trust with the residents and roots us in the community. Treatment and medicines are offered at a nominal cost, keeping in mind the financial status.

NUTRITION

A large part of the programme at Total Health centres around lifestyle modification, of which nutrition is an integral part. The aim is to offer advice on what to eat based on local availability and how much to eat. We also understand that quality food and community go hand in hand, so at our nutrition centres for mothers and seniors, we bring people together to partake of meals. Where food diversity is a problem, we help people understand via murals and posters.

WASH

Water, sanitation, and hygiene, have a direct bearing on the spread of communicable diseases. Total Health sees WASH as an important pillar in overall health. Along with providing infrastructure, such as potable drinking water plants and the construction of toilets, time and money has been invested in creating awareness, among school children, in the community, and even in the local clinics and hospitals. We work through community leaders and ASHA workers.

Arrjava warrior Programme

Arrjava Warriors are people from the community, who bridge the gap between the medical team and laypeople. In Total Health, Aragonda, they are a team of certified yoga practitioners, who travel from village to village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, taking classes from early in the morning for the community and through the working day in schools. They end their day with a class for the women in the skill centre. In Total Health, Amrabad, they are a team of Chenchu tribespeople who are trained in first aid and basic life support (BLS) so they can cater to the needs of those who live deep within the tiger reserve, people who have no access to healthcare and have to walk distances from 20-50 km to deliver a baby or get first aid for a scorpion bite.

Health Data Analysis and Management

Health data collection has been an ongoing activity on which the programmes are built. In Aragonda, the main findings were that 26.1% of the population was anaemic, that 16.7% males and 12.2% females were obese, and that 42% resorted to open air defecation. The major challenge came from among the migrant men who moved in and out of the village, with a base in a city. All projects were tailored to directly impact the main problem of NCDs and hygiene-related practices. In Amrabad, it was found that the tribal people did not have access to basic healthcare, so 320 Chenchu tribespeople were trained as Arrjava Warriors to provide first aid to benefit 18,500 families.

Swarna Bindu Praashana

Swarna bindu is an Ayurveda immunization vaccine and it is administered in the early years of 0 to 16 years for brain development. It helps to maintain a healthy state of mind and body. Swarna Bindu Prashana provides specific immunity along with many other benefits. About 6321 children have been covered under this initiative. In keeping with the ancient tradition, the vaccine is administered only on PUSHYAMI NAKSHATRAM DAY as it is considered as an auspicious day for its administration as per Ayurveda doctrine.