Training on
Engaging with Health System for Accountable and Quality SRH Services
4-7 June 2018, Solan , Himachal Pradesh
Engaging with Health System for Accountable and Quality SRH Services
4-7 June 2018, Solan , Himachal Pradesh
Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ) organized a four day long residential training from 4-7 June 2018 at Solan, Himachal Pradesh for district level health professionals. The training was conducted with the following objectives:
· To develop an understanding of reproductive health rights in contemporary context with gender, social exclusion and marginalisation lens.
· To develop a deeper and critical understanding of various aspects of reproductive health in a policy framework.
· To understand the need for community engagement in SRH health service delivery.
· To orient participants on community based monitoring and inquiry and participatory planning
The training was attended by 16 participants of which 14 were grassroots practitioners and 2 were students of social work. The participants shared their experience of working in the development sector and also about the kind of work their organisation was currently doing at the grassroots level.
The training began with introduction to the concept of Health as Human Rights which was understood as an inclusive right with entitlements for the claim holders and obligations for the duty bearers. The State obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Health rights and the four essential standards of the implementation of these obligations which were availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality were discussed in detail. This session also covered the social determinants of marginalisation, exclusion alongwith the current political scenario which influences the realization of the rights.
The orientation to the foundational concepts of health as human rights and social determinants was followed by thematic sessions on Reproductive health and rights issues within the policy framework. The major areas covered were maternal health, access to contraception and safe abortion. Interactive and participatory methods like quiz, small group discussions and short films were used which helped the participants to understand the issues related to each theme and also the related socio cultural determinants and gaps in the health system functioning with respect to the service delivery. Discussion was also focused on the political understanding of the issues in contemporary context.
Following the thematic inputs the participants were introduced to the concept of social accountability and advocacy for health. This was done by sharing of field level examples where the community based monitoring process was successfully carried out for maternal and reproductive health issues. Experiences from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were shared which helped them to understand the different components, process and methods of community based monitoring. Advocacy was understood through a fun exercise of an obstacle race which gave an understanding of the different hurdles that people from different communities or with different capabilities have to face and why advocacy is to be carried out. In a very simple language the concept of advocacy was explained which was to identify the barriers and then strategically remove those barriers. The concept of equity and equality was also explained keeping in mind the marginalised and excluded communities that the participating organisations were working with.
In order to gain a deeper understanding into Community Engagement and empowerment process a field visit was organized where the participants interacted with the women leaders from the community. These women were part of groups known as Mahila Mandal formed in the early 80s by the local NGO SUTRA and they later started saving and micro credit activities. The group discussions were extremely beneficial for the participants as they learnt about the entire process of community mobilisation and empowerment through the journey of these women. The groups shared about the various efforts undertaken by them for the betterment of the community as a whole such as building of road till the village under MNREGA, rally against sex detection ultrasounds being carried out in nearby private clinics, mass protest and rally for relocation of alcohol shops away from residential and school area etc.
The last day of the training was dedicated towards understanding the role of men in advocacy for health rights issues and linking health rights to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The training ended with a future plan of action developed by each organisation taking forward their learning and incorporating it into their work to be carried out in their field area and feedback session on the entire training program by the participants.
· To develop an understanding of reproductive health rights in contemporary context with gender, social exclusion and marginalisation lens.
· To develop a deeper and critical understanding of various aspects of reproductive health in a policy framework.
· To understand the need for community engagement in SRH health service delivery.
· To orient participants on community based monitoring and inquiry and participatory planning
The training was attended by 16 participants of which 14 were grassroots practitioners and 2 were students of social work. The participants shared their experience of working in the development sector and also about the kind of work their organisation was currently doing at the grassroots level.
The training began with introduction to the concept of Health as Human Rights which was understood as an inclusive right with entitlements for the claim holders and obligations for the duty bearers. The State obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Health rights and the four essential standards of the implementation of these obligations which were availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality were discussed in detail. This session also covered the social determinants of marginalisation, exclusion alongwith the current political scenario which influences the realization of the rights.
The orientation to the foundational concepts of health as human rights and social determinants was followed by thematic sessions on Reproductive health and rights issues within the policy framework. The major areas covered were maternal health, access to contraception and safe abortion. Interactive and participatory methods like quiz, small group discussions and short films were used which helped the participants to understand the issues related to each theme and also the related socio cultural determinants and gaps in the health system functioning with respect to the service delivery. Discussion was also focused on the political understanding of the issues in contemporary context.
Following the thematic inputs the participants were introduced to the concept of social accountability and advocacy for health. This was done by sharing of field level examples where the community based monitoring process was successfully carried out for maternal and reproductive health issues. Experiences from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were shared which helped them to understand the different components, process and methods of community based monitoring. Advocacy was understood through a fun exercise of an obstacle race which gave an understanding of the different hurdles that people from different communities or with different capabilities have to face and why advocacy is to be carried out. In a very simple language the concept of advocacy was explained which was to identify the barriers and then strategically remove those barriers. The concept of equity and equality was also explained keeping in mind the marginalised and excluded communities that the participating organisations were working with.
In order to gain a deeper understanding into Community Engagement and empowerment process a field visit was organized where the participants interacted with the women leaders from the community. These women were part of groups known as Mahila Mandal formed in the early 80s by the local NGO SUTRA and they later started saving and micro credit activities. The group discussions were extremely beneficial for the participants as they learnt about the entire process of community mobilisation and empowerment through the journey of these women. The groups shared about the various efforts undertaken by them for the betterment of the community as a whole such as building of road till the village under MNREGA, rally against sex detection ultrasounds being carried out in nearby private clinics, mass protest and rally for relocation of alcohol shops away from residential and school area etc.
The last day of the training was dedicated towards understanding the role of men in advocacy for health rights issues and linking health rights to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The training ended with a future plan of action developed by each organisation taking forward their learning and incorporating it into their work to be carried out in their field area and feedback session on the entire training program by the participants.
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