A goal for our health workers: how to teach medical awareness to villagers and spread that knowledge effectively. And so it is 15 of them are in Varanasi for more training. 

The program is run by the Ramakrishna Mission of Home Service there and is in its 15th year. The courses are a combination of classes and fieldwork so that the information studied from lectures and books can be immediately used on a practical level. This means it will leave a more powerful imprint in the learning.

A primary focus is to instruct how to do early diagnosis for common diseases like diarrhoea, scabies, anaemia and acute respiratory infections. The first day’s class, though, was about how to communicate that information to villagers properly. In this way, the first signs of various illnesses have a better chance of being detected.

The health workers are divided into groups to visit different villages. The program includes a four-day stay in the village to put their new knowledge immediately to work. A doctor is always present to clarify information and process.

The groups are able to experience a deeper learning, especially in the areas of child health, hygiene and sanitation, family planning and the importance of taking vitamins to prevent illness.