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VILLA GE IIEALTH WORKERS PROGRAMME Dr. Sheila Zurbrigg has completed her work at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre. Madurai Project, In- dia for now. She will continue her studies at Berkeley University California in a Master‘s in Public Health programme. I _ After a sponsorship of a year JOlnlly by FWlO/ACWW/CIDA. Dr. Zurbrigg was enthusiastic about the progress of the work. The Village Health Worker (VHW) Programme was initiated in I976 in the Thirubuvanam Block as an extension of the demonstration feeding programme being run by the village workers. Six women had been trained in Childhood Nutrition and treatâ€" ment/prevention of common illnesses which formed the core of a two’ week training period. initial surveys of all children under 5 years have been taken by a supervisory team to obtain baseline date on Nutrition Status. including vitamin A defi- eieney. as well as a questionnaire regarding Mothers feeding praetices and belieEs. Enumeration by VHW‘s of members was con- dueted of all village households and completed into permanent Village registers. From the initial surveys the training sessions ex- panded to compiling l‘amily register information initial routine Village visits of identification ol~ nutritionally atArisk children and registration of ante-natal women. By October 345% ol~ ante-natal mothers were receiving regular care. As the programme moved forward training ses- sions were held for the VHW‘s to include adminis- tration ol‘ massive dose ol‘ Vitamin A to under lives of the severer Vitamin A deficient villages; teaching routine of l’e/Fiilie aeid distribution to ante-natal and lactating women: ulSu distribution routine for conâ€" lraeeptive pills. liy the end nt' [9%. one village had temporarily. dropped the plan. Dr. _Zurbrigg tells about Vitamin A deficiency. In one small village 7 out 0! 50 children under 5 years had night blindness. The Village Health Worker is now giving gilami‘n A solution. Dr. Zurbrigg with one of the under s. [O J - - i Village Health Worker's inauguration. Dr. Zurbn chats with worker. Statistics show the change in a one year period 1976 l‘J Number ol‘VHW‘s 6 Number of villages 5 Total population 4.370 191:: Under 5 year olds 672 2,] Change in Nutritional Statusâ€"original 5 villages 1976 l” Standard 9% 1i Grade I 31% 3h Grade II 42% 3? Grade II] 18% It- lmmunization Status DPT lst doze 86% 6“ 2nd doze 3F} 4:7 Polio lst doze 82% 7.‘ 2nd doze 33% :7 3rd doze 14% 35' 4th doze 8% 2| 5th doze 3% 14 There is a proposal that the Village Health Work Project will be approved and accepted by the India Council of' Medical Research. _Dr. Zurbrigg says “V have asked for funding for 2V; years beginning immi dialely, This would provide for expansion of the pr“ ect to all the 45 major villages in the Block. lt inv0|\= complete integration with the existing Primary Heatli‘ Centre and Block Development staff." The present stafl‘ is a dedicated and hard workiiI lot including the new full time medical ofi‘ieer Dr. 1 Venkataraman. It‘ the Indian Council of Medical R‘. search take over. it will be a pat on ACWW‘s bat-ix It should be noted FWIO': sponsorship in {his PM eel came from the Nutrition Education Trust Fund all n01 from FWIO'a' International Scholarship Fund m‘ H ported in the last issue.