Village health guides and the community
Kulkarni, P.M.; Jadar, G.C.
Health and Population Perspectives and Issues 7(3): 222-232
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0253-6803 Document Number: 424101
The Village Health Guides Scheme is a new scheme designed to provide simple promotive, preventive, and curative services to the rural population of India. One of the important features of this scheme is that the community participates in its various aspects including selection of guides and supervision of their work. This paper, based on a study conducted in Karnataka, is an attempt to examine community response to and involvement in the scheme. It is seen that the villagers are well aware of the health guides and have been receiving various services from them, especially with respect to treatment of minor ailments. They are generally, quite satisfied with these services which appear to have benefitted all sections of the community. However, the village communities have played a minimal role in the administration of the scheme mainly because the main instrument for this purpose, the village health committees, have not been formed in this area.