Tribal Health Initiative
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Tribal Health Initiative (or THI) is a non profit organisation serving the people of the Sittilingi valley in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It was founded on the vision of a young doctor couple Dr. Regi George [anaesthesiologist] and gynaecologist Dr. Lalitha Regi, fondly called Gi and Tha by the locals.
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[edit] Rural Problems
The predominately tribal area lacked civic or infrastructure development. People fell prey to numerous preventable diseases. With government health programs not reaching this area and paralyzed by poverty and ignorance, development seemed almost impossible till Gi and Tha registered their dream project as the "Tribal Health Initiative (THI) and started off from a mud-thatched hut in the summer of 1993. The duo ran the Out Patients' Department (OPD) in the mornings. With a floor mat and lantern as accessories, the room was transformed into a labour room when emergency came calling.
Traditionally, in tribal communities, women were forced to give birth out of doors — mostly in the dirty backyards of their huts — where they were obliged to stay for a week, as they were considered unclean. As a result, newborns died of cold and infection. It was hard work to convince tribal women to come to the hospital. However, the unassuming and low profile couple did not lose hope. Confident of ushering in change, they visited homes, counselled, selected and trained a band of village girls as nurses and slightly older women as health auxiliaries.
[edit] Successes
From a mud-thatched OPD-cum-labour room, the THI now boasts of a 24-bed hospital with a separate operating theatre, labour room, neo-natal room, emergency room and a laboratory. The OPD attendance stands at an impressive 16,000 a year. Surgeries, deliveries and in-patient admissions have multiplied over the years.
Skillshare International is an organsation based in the United Kingdom which sends health trainers to developing countries. They had sent Dr.S.M.Kannan in 2000 and now Dr. Ravi to THI. Skillshare has an office in Delhi. The trainers mainly work with training of health workers.
Having successfully initated the health care programme, THI has iniatated other development programs as well. It includes Tribal Education Initiative (TEI), Tribal Farming Initiative [TFI] and the Tribal Craft Initiative [TCI]. please look into the official website www.tribalhealth.org for more details
[edit] Funding
Business and Community foundation provides support.
Individuals and organisations also contribute through the Friends Of Sittilingi Funds (FOS) programme.
Tribal health Initiative is an organisation mainly funded by ordinary people - reliance on traditional 'Grant making agencies' is very little. It tries to be an organisation by the people and for the people.
