Our Impact

Providing quality care to marginalized populations

With over 50,000 patients per year coming to our Ganiyari clinic, we are directly impacting people’s lives by providing high quality care to a remote population of people. Marginalized tribal groups make up 45% of the recipients of JSS services, which includes inpatient and outpatient services, as well as our robust community programmes.

Out patient statistics for 2014

Improving health in rural communities

JSS is having a direct impact on the health of those living in rural Bilaspur. One example of our impact is in maternal and child health. Over the years, child survival has steadily improved in our programme villages. The infant mortality rate has been reduced from 86 / 1000 live births to the current 29.5 / 1000 live births, which is significantly lower than the current rate of 59/1000 live births for rural Chhattisgarh (SRS Bulletin, October 2009, Rural IMR). We have achieved this through sustained efforts in various aspects of maternal and child health.

The steep fall in the neonatal mortality rate has been the result of improved care provided to newborns at the community level, early identification and treatment of illnesses, and prompt referral to a facility when required. All our health workers, as well the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) we work with, know the importance of warmth and breastfeeding in newborn care. For the first ten days, postnatal visits are made by the village health worker, who checks to make sure the baby is feeding well and that there are no signs of infection. By ensuring a clean delivery and improving cord care, we have significantly reduced the incidence of neonatal sepsis.

Implementing innovative solutions to rural health problems

JSS is constantly coming up with creative solutions to the chronic problems we witness in trying to provide care for our patients. In caring for patients with malaria, we found that it was hard for patients living in our remote programme villages to get tested and diagnosed for the disease. We thus developed a malaria courier service, which uses a network of health workers and bus drivers to relay diagnostic information from and supply treatment to even the most remote villages- all within 24 to 48 hours. The patient doesn’t even have to leave his or village.

Reducing time to malaria diagnosis and treatment with courier system

Other examples of innovative solutions developed by JSS include our Appropriate Technology, a series of instruments and diagnostic tools that enable us to provide low cost, high quality services that are functional in low-resource settings.

Providing education and employment opportunities to local community

Together with nurses, laboratory technicians, field programme officers and trainers and other support staff, we have 222 full time staff members. JSS is also associated with 104 village health workers, 93 phulwari workers, 80 traditional birth attendants and 12 animal health workers.

We also offer two nursing courses for for adivasis and Dalit girls of rural Bilaspur. For the 50 students enrolled each year, tuition, room and board is provided free of cost. Such programmes not only empower and provide local girls with skills with which to support themselves and their families, but they also go a long way in overcoming the shortage of well training, qualified, and motivated nurses in central India.

Advocating for improved health care for India’s rural poor

JSS aims to impact not only the lives of the individual patients we see in rural Bilaspur, but the lives of poor and marginalized peoples living in remote settings throughout India. We continuously use our understanding of our patients’ needs and experiences at Ganiyari to advocate for the health needs of all those living with similar conditions. Through writing and other forms of advocacy work, our efforts have produced change at both the state and national level. Please see our Advocacy Activities page to learn more.