October 2020
- The Tuver Health & Wellness Center (THWC) project has completed its 20th month of operations and is continuing to deliver technology enabled health care and digital services to the tribal and rural communities in and around Tuver village.
- In the month of September 2020, Social Health Education (SHE) sessions and health profiling activities could not be carried out in the field due to social distancing norms prevailing in the ongoing pandemic scenario. However, menstrual hygiene sessions were conducted at the THWC itself. Teleconsultations, Laboratory, Pharmacy and CSC services continued to deliver digital and health care services for the welfare of the communities in and around Tuver.
- The overall beneficiaries covered at the THWC through September 2020 is over 9100 beneficiaries.
- In Sept 2020, a total of 76 teleconsultations were provided; 18 laboratory tests were performed; and 55 patients were benefitted by accessing medicines from the Tuver Pharmacy.
- 99 beneficiaries benefitted from visiting the Common Services Center (CSC). Photocopying and Mobile recharge services were the most utilized.
- In order to reach out to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconsultations are being provided in “camp mode” at the doorstep of communities.
- As the “unlock down” announced by the Government of India continues, relaxations in local movement continued in September 2020, but due to a rise in the positive cases in Khedbrahma, the locality fell under the category of “containment zone.” Hence, there was a slight dip in the number of patient footfalls across services. The Apollo team has been taking required precautions while being exposed to the community during such activity to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
- Initiatives like door to door visits, menstrual hygiene sessions and distribution of free menstrual hygiene kits have been contributing towards a larger impact of the THWC program. The program is being recognized by communities, which is being reflected in the improving coverage and utilization of services from individuals across various villages around Tuver.
September 2020
- The Tuver Health & Wellness Center (THWC) project has completed its 19th month of operations and is continuing to deliver technology enabled health care and digital services to the tribal and rural communities in and around Tuver village.
- In the month of August 2020, Social Health Education (SHE) sessions and health profiling activities could not be carried out in the field due to social distancing norms in the ongoing pandemic. However, menstrual hygiene sessions were conducted at the center itself.
- Teleconsultations, Laboratory, Pharmacy and CSC services continued to deliver digital and health care services for the welfare of the communities in and around Tuver.
- The overall beneficiaries covered at the THWC through August 2020 is over 8900 beneficiaries.
- In Aug 2020, 50 patients were benefitted by accessing medicines from Tuver Pharmacy.
- 45 beneficiaries benefitted from visiting the Common Services Center (CSC). Photocopying and Mobile recharge services were the most utilized.
- In order to reach out to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconsultations are being provided in “camp mode” at the doorstep of communities.
- In continuation with the efforts put in for reaching out to the community in the current pandemic scenario, the THWC team has been providing teleconsultations on “camp mode” in the Village Panchayats of Kalleka and Dudhali. General physician consultations with lab tests were properly arranged to ensure social distancing. Teleconsultations on camp mode shall remain a part of field activity in the upcoming days, too. The Apollo team has been taking required precautions while being exposed to the community during such activity to avoid transmission of COVID-19.
July 2020
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe, the ability to manage the pandemic in remote parts of our inter-connected world presents an urgent challenge. To help address this challenge, the Business of Humanity® Project (BoH) at the University of Pittsburgh, led by the Katz Graduate School of Business and the Swanson School of Engineering, has been working with its partners at the Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation (ATNF), Safe World Rural Services (SRS), and Narottam Lal Bhai Rural Development Fund (NLRDF) to assist its Tuver Health & Wellness Center located in Gujarat, India to continue to operate under new and ever-changing circumstances during this pandemic.
In accordance with the lockdown guidelines issued by the Government of India, the THWC reopened on April 20th, 2020 and has been continuing to provide health care services to rural communities in and around Tuver. The details outlined in this link by ATNF demonstrate the unique challenges that COVID-19 are presenting to the health care workers at THWC and the steps they are taking so that individuals in rural and remote areas are provided with quality care.
March 2020
The Tuver Health & Wellness Center (THWC) has been operating for a year in Gujarat! Please click on this link to see photos and read the latest details about the wonderful progress that has been made since the THWC opened. The major operations of the THWC include: (1) Teleconsultations; (2) Laboratory Services; (3) Pharmacy Services; (4) a Common Services Center; and outreach programs like (5) Health Profiling and the (6) Social Health Education (SHE) program. Through the end of January 2020, the overall beneficiaries who have been reached by these services is over 6,900 people!