Jul

Free Medical Health Camp for Five Villages in Garo Green Spine

Garo Hills, Meghalaya, July 04, 2016: A free, one-day Medical Health Camp for residents of five villages in the Garo Hills was conducted at the Chandigre village community hall on June 25.

^{Dr ST Sangma of the Asanang Primary Health Centre examines a young patient at the health camp}

The camp, which was implemented under the Garo Green Spine Conservation Project run by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and World Land Trust (WLT) with support from the Meghalaya Forest Department and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), was organised in collaboration with the Asanang Primary Health Centre (PHC). The five villages that were catered to – Chandigre, Khalagre, Baladingre, Daribokgre and Sasat Sakal Aduma – are all of critical importance to the Garo Green Spine region where WTI-WLT teams have worked for over a decade, motivating and supporting local communities to set aside land for Village Reserve Forests (VRFs) to create better habitat and connectivity for wild animals.

The medical team from Asanang PHC was led by Dr ST Sangma and Dr MR Marak. Three hundred persons attended the camp: 53% were adults, 31% between the age of 0 and 12 years; there were more men (56%) than women (44%); the common cold, cough and fever were the most common ailments (40%), followed by gastroenteritis (20%); diarrhoea, clinical anaemia, skin infection and peripheral neuritis were other diseases treated. The WTI-WLT team, supported by the District Medical and Health Officer of Garo Hills, also distributed medicines free of cost to all patients.

^{Patients wait their turn outside the Chandigre community hall}

“We are extremely grateful to WTI-WLT and the government medical teams for organising this health camp in our village”, the Nokma (village chief) of Chandigre said at the end of the camp; “on behalf of everyone, I would like to thank the entire organising team.”The camp closed with WTI’s Sunil Kyarong, Head – Garo Green Spine Conservation Project, giving a note of thanks. “Such free health camps are a small token of our gratitude towards the people of Chandigre and surrounding villages for their continued support towards the conservation of forests and wildlife in the region”, he said. “Getting adequate medical attention is a major issue for residents of the Garo Hills and we hope such camps will do their part in improving the health of the local population.”