Improving child health in the Sundarbans

Future Health Systems is a research consortium working to improve access, affordability and quality of health services for the poor and socially mar-ginalised groups. We are a partnership of leading research institutes from

across the globe working in a variety of contexts: in low-income countries (Ban-gladesh, Uganda), middle-income countries (China, India) and fragile states (Af-ghanistan) to build resilient health systems for the future.After a successful first phase from 2006-2011, we are now in a new six-year phase of research, funded mainly by the UK Department of International Development (DFID).

Consortium-wide research questions

FHS India focus

During this phase, the FHS India team will generate knowledge on the barriers to deliver and to access health services for children in the Sundarbans. More importantly, we will look for ways to mitigate these challenges and to strengthen the overall health system.

The Sundarbans of West Bengal arechallenged by climatic shocks and geographical adversities associated with lowlying delta regions. Cyclones and increasingly frequent flooding damageinfrastructure and pose significant challenges.

This has resulted in a highlyfragmented health system, with uncoordinated service provision attempted by the govern-ment, NGOs and informal private providers – trapping residentsin a vicious cycle of poverty andpoor health.

Health dispareties tend to effect children more signficantly.Indeed our research from 2009 indicates that about half of the children in the Sundarbans below five years are chronically mal-nourished, leading to increased vulnerability to respiratory and gastro-intestinal ailments.

1. Unlocking community capabilities: How can the wide range of resources available at the community be systematically identified and used to improve the quality and impact of health services, particularly for disadvantaged groups?

2. Stimulating Innovations: How can new technologies and organisational innovations be used to improve the quality, coverage and affordability of healthcare in resource-poor settings?

3. Learning by doing in complex adaptive systems: How can models for systematic learning-by-doing be best used by providers, beneficiaries, officials and key local actors to improve the delivery of health services in complex and dynamic settings?

To respond to these gaps, FHS India will develop the fol-

lowing:

• Health watch report: Thisperiodic report will paint a comprehensive picture of local health needs and how health services are perceived

and utilised.

• Learningplatform: This se-ries of meetings will bring togeth-

er multiple stakeholders – including health providers and implementing or-

ganisations, regulators, civil society, governments

and funding agencies – to engage in research process-es and to better understand their own roles and func-tions in the local health system.

What will we do?

Ensuring our research is relevant and useful to local stakeholders is at the core of FHS India. We will work to inform the public sector of our research findings and im-prove local political processes and involvement of civil society to protect the interests of the poor in health.

Previous research from FHS India has un-earthed several specific knowledge gaps that are hindering improved health services in the Sun-darbans. At one level, local health providers might not be entirely aware of the shifting health issues and priorities faced by populations in the Sundar-bans. At another, local providers often have limited knowledge about the services provided by others.

What will we do?

And

How to get involved?

How to get involved

How to get involved

We strive to foster social awareness and facilitate dialogues with the key stakeholders, practitioners, end users and the larger community. A series of workshops, in-depth inter-views, group discussions and community level meets have been planned, and we welcome new participants. Contact us on the information provided below if you’d like to get in-volved, or sign up for updates on our website and to receive periodic newsletters.

Key resources

• HealthCareInTheSundarbansChallengesAndPlanFor A Better Future http://bit.ly/FHSind

Contact

Shibaji BoseCommunications Officer, FHS India

Institute of Health Manage-ment Research (IIHMR)NazirabadP.O. Ucchepota (beside Heri-tage Group of Institutes)