The Pemakö Health Initiative (PHI)

Basic Info

Founded:
Kathleen Morrow, CNM, MA
Detailed Info

Mission:
MISSON STATEMENT

The Pemakö Health Initiative (PHI) wants to create access to safer birthing methods for mothers and baby's one birth at a time in remote and isolated Himalayan villages which are beyond the reach of local healthcare systems. PHI aims to improve outcomes in maternal child morbidity and mortality by providing greater access to emergency care, medications, equipment and Clean Delivery Kits for each pregnant woman. In addition, PHI will help improve access to clean water, reduce contamination from human and animal waste, and help develop sanitary collection and storage systems. For PHI, women deserve a safe and clean birth experience. Every birth matters.

VISION STATEMENT

Approximately half a million women die each year from complications due to pregnancy and childbirth with the majority living in developing countries. The United Nations Millennium Development Goal 5 calls for a reduction in maternal mortality ratios of 75% (from their 1990 levels) by 2015. PHI wants to create an efficient and effective medical service delivery model for maternal and child health for remote locations in underdeveloped regions that could be replicated globally. PHI wants to create an international consulting consortium for medical projects systems integration in lesser developed regions. Through PHI’s training programs, it is hoped that local practitioners in remote areas can be educated to independently provide care for greater sustainability and long-term impact. This model could be used in the future to transition into primary health care.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Maternal Child Health in Arunachal Pradesh:
The basic healthcare, reproductive, and child health services are yet to reach the interior and remote areas of the state. The prevailing high rates of morbidity and mortality are of concern, and attention is needed to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. The infant mortality rate is approximately 77 per 1,000 births (MPRA 2009). The major health problems causing morbidity and mortality among infants and mothers listed starting with the frequency of occurrence:
1. diarrhoeal diseases
2. parasitic infestation
3. hepatitis
4. enteric fever
5. other water borne diseases
6. malnutrition
While the maternal mortality rates are not well recorded for Arunachal Pradesh, an estimated maternal mortality rate for the North East States is 401 per 100,000 births (ICMR 2003). The leading causes for maternal death in the order of the frequency of occurrence:
1. post partum hemorrhage
2. post partum septicemia
3. retained placenta
4. non-obstetric related deaths

Pilot Project Data Collection: In April of 2009 Ms. Morrow, PHI Founder and Director, spent 19 days in 8 villages and evaluated 101 villagers with health problems in the Yangsang River Valley (See Map #3). Information from health histories revealed:
a) 5 women died in childbirth from hemorrhage and retained placenta
b) 4 children died from tetanus and/or measles.

In addition, water and sanitation survey was conducted in 11 households in Payingdem Village for Engineers Without Borders/Boston. The findings of this informal Rapid Assessment Procedure (RAP):
1. Inadequate access and storage of clean water
2. Inadequate sanitation methods
3. Lack of trained MCH and general healthcare providers
4. Lack of community awareness of the need for MCH services
5. Lack of MCH resources:
a ) Lack of access to emergency obstetrical care
b) No trained Skilled Birth Attendants or Village Health Care Workers in
Pemakö.
c) No local health posts in Pemakö, requiring villagers to travel up to 16
hours by foot to access health care in Tuting. And if seriously ill, the
villager would need to travel for 2 to 4 days to reach a District Hospital in
Pasighat or a Regional Hospital in Assam State.
6. Lack of access to childhood immunizations
Company Overview:
The Pemako Health Initiative willl focus on improving access to Maternal Child Health (MCH) services for women and children in twelve villages in the Yangsang River Valley of Pemako, Upper Siang District, Arunchal Pradesh, India. Maternal Child Health Workes (MCHWs) will be trained for each of the Villages. PHI is collaborating with One Heart World-Wide (OHWW) who is providing the MCH Needs Assessment and Prenancy and Village Outreach Training model for improving pregnancy and newborn... (read more)
Products:
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