Medical camps: General medical checkup camps are also conducted periodically in association with hospitals in and around the district. Eye camps and psycho-socio medical camps are also conducted and need based medical support is arranged for the patients. Regular BP checking and blood sugar monitoring of senior citizens are done regularly in two Panchayats. Two trained health staff regularly make home visit and check the level of blood pressure and sugar.

Awareness creation: In order to sensitize the community on preventive aspects of communicable diseases and life style related diseases; number of awareness creation programs are conducted frequently.

Counselling services:

Family counseling centre (FCC): Family Counselling Centre, supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has been operational since 2004. Two qualified and experienced Counsellors help the women and girls in addressing family issues and psychological challenges. In addition to resolving family conflicts, the centre also addresses adolescent issues, parent-child maladjustment, behavioural problems of school children, substance abuse cases, and suicidal tendencies. A Service Providing Centre was also established in 2008 under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of 2005, with the support of Kerala government, which offers free legal assistance to women experiencing domestic violence or abuse. A female lawyer is appointed to take care of such cases.

Counselling helpline: Since May 2006 Swadhar Counselling Helpline started to function under the ministry of Women and Child Development New Delhi. Three experienced and professional counsellors are employed to provide round-the-clock counselling support over telephone. A number of suicide attempts could be averted with the help of Helpline services. It is a consolation for the poor and marginalised people who are living in remote areas.

Health Insurance: Today treatment expense is intangible for poor and middle class people. In order to lessen burden of treatment expenses in collaboration with national insurance company we have started a health insurance scheme which affordable to poorest of poor.

Success Story #1:

“Susheela is 64-year-old married women. She has four children and living with her husband and younger son in the Pezhumkadom village near Kanjiyar. Her other children got married separated and living in nearby villages. Her husband is a diabetes patient. The client was a daily laborer and was working for the family. The client experienced hyper tension due to the various news on outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19. She always watches COVID news and always speak about it. She has tensions about her children who are residing far away. She started to show the symptoms such as; Lack of determination, disinterests in daily activities, sleeplessness etc. the patient doesn’t have any past psychiatric history. In the past the client along with her husband usually make visits in all her children’s houses. After the outbreak of the COVID -19 the client couldn’t make any visits to her children’s home, this is the main reason for the hyper tension. The client worries that the COVID 19 may affect to her children and it may lead to their death, if something happens the client may not be able to see at least. Due to the COVID outbreak and the lockdown the client couldn’t go for the daily work, and while the client thinks about the COVID 19, the worries of the client comes in the peak situation. The counsellor spoke with the client’s son and daughter in law over phone and discussed about the situation of the client. And counsellor shared the methods to reduce the tension and stress of COVID and methods for children to take care of her mother. The counsellor gave breathing exercises to reduce the hypertensions and advised to do the activity in a daily basis. There was no progress in the case after the intervention and then referred to the psychiatrist in the Fortunatus Psychiatric Hospital, Kattapana. After the treatment from the hospital the client become better and reduced the medications. The counsellor make phone follow ups in the monthly basis. Now the client started to carryout the daily activities and started to go for the daily works”

Success Story #2:

“Anitha is 16 year old girl. She had completed her 10th standard. in her family consists of father, mother and a sister. Father is a farmer and mother are house wife. Her sister is studying in 9th standard. The client was a very smart and was a bright student in the school in both academics and extracurricular activities. The client expected full A+ in the SSLC examinations. Unfortunately, the client couldn’t score as she expected in SSLC exams. The client was in a depressive state of mind after realizing that she couldn’t achieve the expected marks. The client was emotionally shattered. The client attempted to suicide and fortunately her mother saw that client trying to suicide and mother saved her life. The client was not sociable in the peer groups and among the family members. The client become more aggressive to her friends and parents. The client had a thought that her teachers and would blame her for the poor result in the exams. Due to such a thought the client attempted suicide. The members in the SHG group informed in the VOSARD office, and the project counselor intervened in the case referred by the members of SHG group. The counselor visited the client’s home and client was not that cooperative to the counsellor. The counsellor continues to visit the client in her home and build up raport with the client. From the third session the client ventilated her issues to the counsillor and she relaxed after the session. The client expressed to the counsellor that the client was the hero in her family and school because the client was very smart and talented in academics and extra curricular activities. The family and teachers gave special attention to the client. So that the client was also expecting full A+ all subjects. And unfortunately she couldn’t attain full A+in all subjects. Therefore she felt sad and had discomfort in facing her teachers , parents and friends. The counsellor helped the client to build up the self confidence and adviced the client to create a belief in herself to perform better in higher secondary exams. The counsellor gave sessions to create self esteem and provided emotional support to the client. The counsellor also gave individual psychotherapy and family therapy and gave methods. The counsellor identified that the client was interested in reading books, the counselor advised the client to read more books to change the mind and thoughts. The counsellor had two direct session and two sessions through phone. The counsellor could observe changes after the third session. And after the fifth session the client become pleasant and back to her normal life. She became sociable with her friends and family”