Rural Surgical Care: The SBMC Model

By: Dr. J. Gnanaraj, Dr. George Mathew and Dr. Sreehari Babu Jangala | Published: JAN 2020 Volume: 9

BACKGROUND

Simdega is one of the backward districts of Jharkhand with a population of about 600,000 [1]. According to the 2011 census the district had only 31 allopathic medical practitioners [2]. There was only one hospital where surgeries were possible. The population was predominantly tribal [70%] and 32% of the district was forest area [1, 2]. Only about 67% were literate and despite the Government plan for having one Community Health Center per 100,000 populations the district has none. Similarly the number of Primary health centers is only 7 while the requirement is 20. The Lancet estimate is that a population of 600,000 would require about 30,000 surgical procedures a year.

...