Friendship Community Medics

Following its success in health delivery through Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital (LFH) and weekly satellite clinics, Friendship introduced Friendship Community Medics (FCM) in 2006. As static clinics and continuous deliverance of care was not possible on the chars, this revolutionary tier in health delivery promised the care the char populace required. FCM’s are trained community (female) members, introduced with the purpose of creating a ‘self-sustaining, primary health service providing’ mechanism in the char areas to address maternal and child health, nutrition and family planning issues.

Friendship Community Medics are believed to be an effective and efficient means of improving community health because they serve a vital link between communities and health care systems. Accordingly, they are trained as an asset to the community, equipped to deal with primary health care issues. Each FCM undergoes an intensive training on primary prevention, diseases, maternal and child care, diet and nutrition, safe delivery, first aid and use of certain medicines.

FCM’s are primarily responsible for the implementation of disease prevention and health service activities like increasing health awareness and nutrition intervention and for identifying referrals and secondary care patients. They provide house-to-house service as well as community meetings for behavioural change communication. Community Medics are the bridge between the char and the satellite team. While satellite clinics make regular visits to each char, community medics are part of the village, accessible to the entire community at all times. FCMs are stocked with medicine to deal with minor ailments, delivery kits, nutrition and family planning packs and are required to refer to satellite clinics for other health issues. This system ensures that the char communities always have someone to turn to for medical attention and are only a phone call away from the satellite clinic and the doctors aboard the hospital boats. They are also required to inform community member of and be present at the weekly satellite clinics to assist the paramedics.

The FCM program also aims to empower women through training and recognition in the community by providing an income source. An FCM will stock drugs which she stocks at home and sells to community members as and when required.