Background and Context: V Care Foundation is an emotional support group for cancer patients and their families. V Care has various outreach programmes to reach out to patients needs. V Care has completed 20 years in February 2014.
Aim: Poor hygienic conditions in developing countries results in infection during treatment and causes more complications, leading to extension of treatment and puts a further severe strain on financial resources of poor patients who in any case find it difficult to meet the expenses for the basic treatment. To combat this V Care has undertaken an innovative “Project—Infection Control” for pediatric patients since last 3 years.
Strategy/Tactics: Infection Control kit comprises of 14 items recommended by the doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital, a leading cancer treating centre in India. Kits are distributed free to all pediatric patients at the hospital so as to initiate them in to more healthier and hygienic practices. This certainly reduces risk of infection and other complications. Once awareness of importance of controlling infection is imbibed by the patients and with continued practice the rate of infection falls down and helps the cancer patients. The family is also motivated to imbibe these practices. Hopefully permanent benefits with multiplier effect!
Programme/Policy Process:
Outcomes/What was learned: We are working out a system for validating impacts by proper statistical data and analysis. In the last 3 years we have distributed over 1800 kits to pediatric patients in Tata Memorial Hospital. Plan to extend to other hospitals and cover all pediatric cases.
This project can be replicated by the other developing countries whose challenges are similar to the Indian scenario.