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| Schoolchild
Healthcare Plan
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Read what our children, community, government and donors have to say about our Schoolchild Healthcare Plan.
Testimonials from the
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From the children:
 I am proud of the scar on my chest.
It’s making me a heroine. Lot of people visit me now from
my school and the neighboring schools. The hospital has
given me a toy monkey to play with because they don’t
want me to run about as yet. But the doctors said I’m
going to get well soon and can join the skipping rope
races with my friends.
- Anusha, Std III, Government Primary School, Kulsumpura,
after a heart surgery. October 2005.
From the Community:
We could not believe Dr Gopichand
would be operating on our daughter. We saw him on TV one
day. he is supposed to be one of the best doctors in the
world. To have him operate on my daughter was a blessing,
we could not have asked for more. He spoke with us very
gently after the surgery. He said all would be well. Miracles
happen. Naandi has made our miracle possible.
- Vijaya,
Anusha’s (student of Government Primary School Kulsumpura)
mother, after a cardiac surgery, October 2005.
Amer had ‘club feet’ since birth.
Ever since he lost his parents he has been living with
us. It was painful to see him not walk like other children.
He could not even sit properly. His friends often made
fun of him and never allowed him to play with them. We
had never thought of a surgery, as we knew we could not
afford it. Today, my nephew is able to walk and run like
others. His friends do not ignore him anymore and we are
grateful to Naandi Foundation.
- Ghousia
Begum, Amer’s (a student of Government Primary School
Bibi ka Cheshma I) aunt after an Orthopaedic surgery,
April 2006.
From the Government:
The School Health programme is
benefiting all the students as they are really poor and
cannot afford quality healthcare. There has been a sharp
increase in enrolment and students are also very regular
to school. We have stopped admissions for the next academic
year, but more parents are pleading us to admit their
children.
- Reshma
Firdous, Headmistress, Government Primary School, Bibi
Ka Chesma I, April 2006.
This programme, more than anything
else will bring children back to schools. It is a great
source of security and faith for the parents that the
health of their child is in safe hands, and it’s free.
Word about the healthcare programme and the success of
the surgeries has spread in the entire area. Fifty five
children have enrolled in the school since the healthcare
programme began six month back. I’ve been a principal
for eight years in this school. I know the conditions
the parents and children come from and this is the best
support one could have given them.
- Bala
Malleshwari, Headmistress, Government Primary School,
Kulsumpura, October 2005.
From our Partners, Donors and Volunteers:
The Schoolchild Healthcare programme
is the one actually playing the role of god for many families.
What it has started is a long pending wish come true for
many doctors. Supporting it is our way of giving back
to society.
- Dr Gopichand
Mannam, chief of Cardio Thoracic surgery, Care Hospital,
Hyderabad, October 2005.
50 paise per child per month is
all it takes to run this programme. A lot of logistical
planning goes into making this possible. But once you
have people with the right spirit backing you, and are
able to get the right infrastructure and tie-ups in place,
you can give these deserving children, quality healthcare.
At 50 paise per child per month we have shown it is possible.
When Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Deputy Chairman, Planning
commission) visited Hyderabad, he had remarked that this
programme might be worth replicating across the country.
If this can be taken to scale, I can guarantee it will
cost the sate even less.
- Dr Padmanabh
Reddy, CEO, NICE foundation, Medical Partner for the School
Healthcare Programme, October 2005.
Being involved with Naandi Foundation’s
Schoolchild Healthcare Plan as an impartial observer has
given me the opportunity to objectively address the benefits
of this programme. There are many non-governmental organisations
that are involved in such endeavors, but I believe that
Naandi is one of the few that has truly been successful.
Observing children at the OP clinics, talking to students
about their views on the programme, and doing case studies
of children whose entire lives have been changed has shown
me that the Schoolchild Healthcare Plan is very valuable.
However, I believe that the plan has the ability to help
children even more than it does today. And with the hard
work of Naandi’s dedicated team, I am confident that it
soon will change the face of government education in this
country.
- Nivedita
Nehru, student at Claremont McKenna College, California,
who volunteered with Naandi Foundation, June 2005.
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Case studies
I. “I can now run and play like
my friends”
Eight-year-old Swati, the daughter of
a barber and a housewife, has a condition doctors call
a Ventricular Septal Defect, a congenital hole in the
heart. To Swati, these words meant nothing. All she knew
was that her heart was not normal and she must look out
from the doorway while other children play.
30 November 2004 was a new day for Swati.
There was a health camp for children in her government
school, GPPS Sultan Shahi. The doctors were considerate
and friendly; they took her picture, made her a card,
and then took her weight and height, and listened to her
heart. They told her what she already knew – that her
heart was not normal. But they also gave her something
that she had never had before – hope. They told her that
her heart could be fixed!
Swati’s parents are happy – until now they had watched
helplessly with aching hearts, as their youngest of three
children grew more frustrated with her condition. But
what could they do? The only way to help her was an operation.
At a cost exceeding anything her father could bring home
in months, an operation was out of the question until
Naandi’s Schoolchild Healthcare Plan started at Swati’s
school. On 27 June 2005, Swati had her operation. A doctor
walks in to see how she is feeling. Her parents look at
him with grateful eyes that say what words cannot say.
How is one to thank the man that has given their daughter
another chance at life? What does one say? Her father
takes the doctor’s hand, and with a tear in his eye says,
“Shukria (thank you), doctor sahib!”
Surgery conducted
in June 2004 |
| II.
“I can become a teacher” On the surface Shasherekha
is just a normal 6-year-old girl. She goes to school and
plays with her friends. But appearances can be deceiving,
because internally, Shasherekha is very different from
her peers. Her body is struggling with juvenile diabetes.
Even though she is only 6, Shasherekha has been fainting
and losing consciousness for at least a year. As the daughter
of a civil works painter, her family did not have enough
money to transport her from hospital to hospital and have
test after test done. They did what they could with their
meager budget and took her to medicine man after medicine
man. Still, they obtained no answers and Shasherekha continued
to faint.
When Naandi Foundation started its Schoolchild Healthcare
Plan, Shasherekha’s fortune changed. She was admitted
into Shalini Hospital when the doctors learned of her
frequent fainting spells. After undergoing tests, Shasherekha
was diagnosed as a diabetic. The prescribed treatment
is insulin shots – she must take a daily dose for the
rest of her life. With each vial costing well over Rs
100/-, treatment would have been completely unaffordable
for Shasherekha’s family even if they had been aware of
her diabetes. However, Naandi’s healthcare scheme has
been the saving grace for Shasherekha and her family.
Why should Shasherekha, because of the mere fact that
she has been born to poor parents, not be able to realise
her dreams and suffer a premature death? The answer -
she should not. In Shasherekha’s case, she wants to be
a teacher. A year ago, the chances of her living past
the age of 20 were slim. Today, she can confidently dream
of working in a school because the Schoolchild Healthcare
Plan has given her the ability to hope about her future.
Treatment commenced in July 2005
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| III.
“My legs are fine and my friends can’t hurt me anymore”
This is Amer. An orphan living with his uncle
and aunt. This class V student was often ridiculed by
his classmates and friends. The ten-year old’s only mistake
was he walked with a limp and fell down more often than
he walked. He has been suffering from Congenital Talipes
Eqino Varus (CTEV) also known as ‘club feet’ since birth.
For three months Amer was in the Paediatric Intensive
Care Unit of Shalini Hospital, Barkatpura undergoing Orthopaedic
treatment. But today, Amer is back in school.
“Amer had this problem since birth. Ever since he
lost his parents he has been living with us. It was painful
to see him not walk like other children. He could not
even sit properly. His friends often made fun of him and
never allowed him to play with them. We had never thought
of a surgery, as we knew we could not afford it. Today,
my nephew is able to walk and run like others. His friends
do not ignore him anymore and we are grateful to Naandi
Foundation”, Ghousia Begum, Amer’s aunt.
“I always wanted to play with my classmates but they
would not let me join them. They would say that my legs
were crooked and their team would lose because of me.
Everyday I would sit outside my house and watch them play.
But now nobody can stop me. My legs are fine and my friends
can’t hurt me anymore”, Amer.
“The School Health programme is benefiting all the students
as they are really poor and cannot afford quality healthcare.
There has been a sharp increase in enrolment and students
are also very regular to school. We have stopped admissions
for the next academic year, but more parents are pleading
us to admit their children”, Reshma Firdous, Headmistress,
Government Primary School, Bibi Ka Chesma I.
Surgery conducted in November 2005 |
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IV. “Now I can move my right
arm and shoulder with no difficulty”
When Pavan was just a seventeen month
old baby, when he had just learned to walk, he accidentally
fell into boiling water and burnt himself. The tender
skin on his right jaw along with the skin on the right
arm and shoulder got badly scarred and fused together.
Neither could he move his arm or wear a shirt with a sleeve
on the right arm.
Since then his parents approached hospitals
which would perform the surgery to help Pavan use his
arm and shoulder again.
Neighbours from his basti told his parents
of the Schoolchild Healthcare programme in the government
school (GPS Kulsumpura, Hyderabad) and asked them to enroll
Pavan in school ensuring them that the programme will
help him.
You will be happy to know that Naandi’s
Schoolchild Healthcare programme has performed a plastic
surgery and as you can see in the picture Pavan can now
move his hand and shoulder with no difficulty.
Surgery conducted
in August 2005 |
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V.So what if I’ am HIV+?
Ten-year-old
Suhasini came to the clinic at her school, GPS Kulsumpura,
with “warts” covering her entire face. The doctor suspected
a viral infection and she rode in the medical van to Shalini
Hospital, Barkatpura. After enduring a series of blood
tests and screenings, her medical verdict was announced
– little Suhasini was HIV positive, and the “warts” are
actually lesions – a telltale sign of her condition. Sharda,
her single mother, had also tested positively for the
disease (the father died years ago in a village of unknown
causes – doctors are assuming HIV).
I visited Suhasini at her home on July
19 2005. Walking up the stairs of the compound, the first
thing I noticed was the abject poverty that her mother’s
Rs 700/ - a month confines her to. Her one room home was
dark, devoid of even the most basic necessities of everyday
life – no running water or even a private bathroom, leave
alone anything else. But as I stepped inside, a remarkable
sight greeted me. Suhasini was smiling from ear to ear.
Undaunted by her illness, not frustrated by her surroundings,
not burdened by her household responsibilities, she is
still a little girl, filled with the joy of childhood.
Unfortunately, there are vast numbers
of children like Suhasini – sick, even dying, yet bubbling
with an excitement for life – who will not be as fortunate
as she is. Without the intervention of social welfare
organisations, like Naandi Foundation, a far greater number
of underprivileged children would have no hope of receiving
treatment for their illness. The future for those infected
with untreated HIV is sure to be bleak. But Suhasini has
been given a chance at a better and healthier tomorrow.
Documented by Ms Nivedita Nehru, student
at Claremont McKenna College, California, who volunteered
with Naandi Foundation.
Treatment commenced
in June 2005 |
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VI.
“I can start playing cricket again”
A year ago Ismail Qureshi was very active.
He loved running about, chasing his friend Fareed around
their housing compound. And how he loved playing cricket!
All the children in his colony would gather after school
for matches. But one day, Ismail’s routine was shattered.
While chasing Fareed, he fell down a flight of stairs,
breaking his leg at the shin.
For a child from a moneyed background,
a broken bone is seldom more than a nuisance. In fact,
the victim is often the “man of the hour,” showing off
his “battle scars” while friends sign the cast. However,
for Ismail’s family the fractured leg was a life-altering
affair. Ismail developed a high fever and was in excruciating
pain for weeks, but his parents allowed him pain tablets
only very sparingly, for they are expensive and his father
must support 6 children on his limited salary as a lorry
driver.
Ismail’s family could not take him to
a hospital for a cast fitting because facilities were
far away and they did not have enough money for transportation
or the procedure. Consequently, Ismail’s shin was never
allowed to heal properly. Acutely deformed, his leg was
now of limited service to him. Limping at all times, and
falling often, Ismail’s cricket days were over – until
Naandi’s Schoolchild Healthcare Plan started in Hyderabad’s
government schools.
When doctors saw Ismail’s shin, they
pronounced him as having a malunion of the right tibia
and fibula, a condition that could only be fixed through
a surgical procedure – re-breaking his leg, and setting
it with a cast.
Today Ismail’s life is slowly getting
back to normal. His surgery was successful and once the
cast is removed, his shin will be back to normal. After
a year of sitting on the sidelines, he will finally again
join in his neighborhood cricket matches!
Surgery conducted
in July 2005 |
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“I don’t know what I would have done without Naandi’s
help”
11 year old Rakesh, son of a footwear seller
and a housewife, has a condition doctors call Wilson’s disease.
To Rakesh these words meant nothing. All he knew was that he
was not normal; he cannot walk and run like other children of
his age do and can’t even express his pain as he cannot talk
either.
Rakesh’s mother Rekha watched helplessly as
the oldest of her four children grew more frustrated with his
condition. But what could they do? The only way to help him
was life long treatment, which costs about Rs 50 per day. At
a cost exceeding anything his father could bring home in months,
this was out of the question until Naandi’s Schoolchild Healthcare
Plan started at Rakesh’s school (GPS Rahimpura).
“Earlier I took Rakesh to Niloufer Hospital.
He was reacting positively to the medicines but we had to discontinue
the treatment as we could not afford to buy the tablets. About
a year ago, Naandi’s health coordinators identified my son and
brought him to the hospital. We have not spent a rupee so far.
Rakesh is more active now; he is able to walk better and is
responding quickly. I don’t know what I would have done without
Naandi’s help”, Rekha, Rakesh’s mother.
Rakesh’s mother who was happy about his recovery
was in for another shock when she realised that her daughter
Swathi was developing the same problem. Swathi too was finding
it difficult to walk and write and as a result was one of the
worst performers in school. Her health condition was detected
at the school out-patient clinics run by Naandi.
“Rakesh and Swathi are suffering from Wilson's
disease, which causes the body to retain copper. The liver of
a person who has Wilson's disease does not release copper into
the bile as it should and requires lifelong treatment. Both
of them need lifelong treatment to remove the copper content
in their brain, liver, eyes and kidneys to prevent them from
being totally disabled. They have been responding positively
to the medicines. Recently we have increased their dosage and
have been spending about Rs 150 per day on medicines for both
of them”, Dr Nalini, School Health Incharge doctor.
Treatment commenced
in March 2006
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