BACKROUND

• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and safe health care waste management in health care facilities are fundamental for the provision of quality, people-centered care. Such services also reduce health care associated infections, chemical hazards and risks to the community. They also increase trust and uptake of health services, increase efficiency and decrease cost of service delivery and improve staff morale.

Interventions by GOI to promote cleanliness in Health care facilities

Kayakalp

• An initiative has been launched to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health facilities.

• Under this initiative, public healthcare facilities shall be appraised and such public healthcare facilities that show exemplary performance meeting standards of protocols of cleanliness, hygiene and infection control will receive awards and commendation.

• Under this initiative, the number of awards are as under:

• Best two District Hospitals in each state (Best District hospital in small states)

• Best two Community Health Centers /Sub District Hospitals (CHC/ SDH) (limited to one in smaller states).

• One Primary Health Centre (PHC) in every district

• Based on the set criterion prize winners will receive a cash award with a citation.

• Further, Certificate of Commendation plus cash award would be given to in facilities that score over 70%, but do not make it to the list of top two/one in a particular year.

VISHWAS’ (Village based Initiative to Synergise Health, Water and Sanitation) 

• VHSNC Campaign Initiative for Swachhta and Swasthya -will be carried out under the leadership of VHSNCs and will build a collective initiative at community level, for improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene situation and its impact on Health and quality of life.

• It will also strengthen convergent action in integration with various initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), and will also build the institutional capacity of VHSNCs to fulfill their roles as visualized in the original design.

Swachh Swasth Sarvatra :

• The objective of the ‘Swachh Swasth Sarvatra’ initiative is to build on and leverage achievements of two complementary programmes – Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Kayakalp – of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare, respectively.

Under this initiative:

• Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has declared over 700 blocks as Open Defecation Free (ODF).

• Community Health Centres (CHCs) in ODF blocks of the country will be allocated Rs 10 lakhs under National Health Mission (NHM) to focus on sanitation and hygiene.

• Under Kayakalp, one Primary Health Centre (PHCs) in each district is awarded for meeting quality standards including sanitation and hygiene.

• Under SBM, the Gram Panchayat in which the PHC which gets awarded under Kayakalp for that district will be noted, and special focus will be given to make it ODF at the earliest.

Village Health Sanitation & Nutrition Committee (VHSNC) :

• At village level these are constituted which function under the ambit of the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) and acts as a sub- Committee or a Standing Committee of the Gram Panchyat under the latter’s oversight to empower panchayats with the understanding and mechanisms required for them to play their role in governance of health and other public services and to enable communities through their leadership to take collective action for the attainment of better health status in the village.

• It includes elected members of the panchayat resident in the village as its members.

Mahila Arogya Samiti (MAS) :

•  It is a similar mechanism to VHSNC but in the Urban area.

• Untied funds are provided to the VHSNC and MAS on an annual basis to undertake their functions.

• At health facility level Rogi Kalyan Samities (RKSs) are constituted which, inter alia, supervise the implementation of National Health Programmes at thehospital and other health institutions that may be placed under its administrative jurisdiction and Improve participation of the Society in the running of the hospital.

• RKS includes representatives of PRIs and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).