Because of its very strong commitment to the poor, which is at variance from general trends in the health sector, the project needs a strong core of highly committed senior paramedics and village supervisors to sustain the ideology of health services for the poor by the poor. Disease treatment, prevention, health education and motivation are essential to health improvement and mutually inseparable.

With the exception of the Medical Officer in Charge, staff  are all locally recruited and trained on the job. Most of the staff have been to secondary school, some of them only to primary school. Staff are recruited who are empathetic and efficient. They must be willing to work on salaries which allow them to concentrate on their work but without separating them from the poor whom they serve.

Regular ongoing training for all staff is essential in a primary health care project. They participate in weekly teaching/training meetings based on their work needs, current problems and the needs of the project Training is designed to form and prepare staff who are empathetic, committed, knowledgeable, skilled and able to teach. Not only should they work effectively and give teaching to the patients but they should be spreading important health messages in the villages as well. Paramedic and village worker certificates have now been prepared.

The Health Centre’s village mother-child  and TB programmes  go hand in hand. In the general outpatient, inpatient and diabetes programmes, demand pressure has required separate staff for health education. The five educators are ordinary people who have been through the experience  themselves of being patients and most have a long association with the project. Four are diabetics and one paraplegic. They understand what they are teaching and are able to get the messages across.

Inflation over the past two years has seriously raised living costs.  Salaries have been increased but further increase will be needed. The work-force comprises health staff and back-up staff.

Present Staff: Senior multipurpose paramedics 4 (3 on outpatients), general paramedics 6, diabetes paramedics 4, nutrition paramedics 2, TB paramedics 2, midwifery paramedics 3, health educators 5, MCVP supervisors 6, village MCVP workers 12, health assistants 11, office staff 8, cooks 7, grounds-buildings etc 10, project manager 1, medical officer 1, total 82.