Community Health Centre at Konkan
Village Konkan, Union Council Sarli Sacha, District Muzaffarabad, AJK.

Sungi Development Foundation has recently started a community health centre in Konkan, District Muzaffarabad, AJK with financial support of Royal Norwegian Embassy. Konkan is a remote village which lies at around 6500ft and is in the union council of Serli Secha, some 36 km from Muzzafarabad. The area has a population of around 8000 and does not consist of a single dispensary due to which people are often forced to travel to Patika or Muzzafarabad for minor health problems even.

The community health centre has been made from a large shipping container brought in from Scotland. This container has been provided and recycled into an office unit for use as a clinic by Edinburgh Direct Aid. Edinburgh Direct Aid is a charity registered in Scotland, founded in 1992 and aims to deliver material aid directly to those in need, and raise awareness of donors and supporters through communication of experiences of volunteers working aboard.

Goal:
To reduce the vulnerability of the local communities especially women and children by improving health status through provision of preventive and curative health services.

Objectives:
•  Establishment of a community health centre to provide basic health services to more then
   eight thousand (8,000) local population.
• To improve the health of women and children by provision of MCH services
• To improve the health status of local communities by provision of preventative health status
• Capacity building of 150 local community volunteers in first aid and health and hygiene
• To establish referral linkages with the health department in AJK and other health service
   organizations.

Key activities of the Community Health Centre include:
• Mother and child health care including Antenatal care, delivery services (normal), post natal and
   neo natal care and detection and treatment of STIs/RTIs.
• Diagnostic services including establishment of a well equipped laboratory services for basic
   investigations.
• Establishment of referral linkages for emergency shifting of patients.
• Establishing community health volunteers.
• Coordination and networking at local and district level including holding dialogues with stake
   holders/policy makers and other health service organizations.

Achievements:
The total number of patients who have directly benefited from the centre were 316, in which 48% were women, 31% were female children, 16% were men and 5%were male children. Two deliveries have also been conducted so far.