KCPPHC covers the comprehensive health needs of 15000 people in the ‘lower Kodaikanal hills’ of the Western Ghats Mountain range in Tamil Nadu India located at 1500m altitude. The health center stabilizes and refers critically ill emergency patients, treats most acute illnesses on site, and implements a comprehensive preventive care and chronic disease recall program. Where specialist referrals are needed we try and facilitate the needs of vulnerable patients through advocacy. Importance is given to patient empowerment and community awareness through a strong health education program in villages, schools and health centers.
A non-profit making and joint project of The Palani Hills Health Development Trust, a community owned and controlled organization of mainly Adivasi people in the Palani hills of Tamil Nadu and The Christian Fellowship Hospital in Oddanchatram, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu 624619
The work here started in 1989 when the area had some appalling health standards far worse than the state average. In 2013 the health indicators such as infant mortality are much less than the average in Tamil Nadu. These improvements in standards are due to many reasons other than our work alone and we have experienced failures in some of our goals. However reasons for improvement include attention given to all aspects of primary health care including rational evidence based but sustainable health care, giving priorities to simple preventive health care measures, health education given in ways that empower and motivate people and a high level of participation by the poorest members of the community. Equally important is that the health care given has been achieved at a fraction of the cost of care in most other health care centres.
We have started this website mainly to share ideas on health care guidelines at primary health care level that we have developed for local use over nearly 25 years. Anyone is welcome to use them but we would also like to have feedback. There is an urgent need to develop guidelines relevant and sustainable in poorer communities in India that also do not take away funds from important factors such as education and housing which in the end have a greater impact on improving health than medical care.
© 2014 KCPatty Primary Health Centre. The material in this website may be downloaded, printed out, photocopied and distributed free of charge as long as no profit is gained from its use. Permission to reproduce it in any other way must be obtained from
kcpphc@gmail.com
