Genesis

Fr. K.C George, a diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of Imphal, who was convinced of the philosophy of community Health and the practical approach of alternative systems of treatment in North East, was instrumental in conceiving the idea of NECHA in the north-East. Thus he became the founder father of NECHA; with a team of nurse sisters as office bearers.

Two dioceses Imphal & Dibrugarh picked up the spirit of community Health in the beginning and went ahead with a lot of activities for the well being of the rural population of the dioceses and eventually got the recognition of the Regional Bishops of the dioceses. The committed leaders from the two dioceses who made the rural health ministry as the part and parcel of the diocesan activities and are carried forward even today. The services rendered as presidents of NECHA by Fr. KC George, Rev. Fr. Thomas Mekalath (A Homeo doctor from Aizawl diocese), Sr. Barbara SCCG, Sr. Elizabeth Edattukaran FMA should be recognized by the well-wishers of NECHA. The struggle of Fr.Kurian Joseph, a diocesan priest from Dibrugarh, as its director, in buying the land and constructing a permanent structure at Guwahati, deserves appreciation. The dedicated and committed nurse sisters of the NECHA’S Member Institutions (MIS), who are rendering their selfless services in the rural areas of the region, where no Government Health facilities are available to the poor people, is the real back bone of NECHA.

NECHA gives direction and relevance to health Ministry in the various Dioceses under the patronage of CHAI. It is involved in mapping resources of various Religious Congregations and Dioceses, proposing a full time health coordinator who under the Bishop of the Dioceses, who should coordinate and Network among the various commissions, such as Social Service, Health and Education. Networking among various Commissions within a Diocese adds efficacy and helps evaluation and Goal setting. Such coordinated activities will help the Diocese to share expertise, experience and financial Resources. CHAI has undertaken ’’vision 2020” of our Christian Health Organizations so that the smaller units get orientation and support from bigger Institutions (Hospitals).The Strategic Planning Process (SPP) initiated by CHAI for the Region and for every Diocese, has helped the member Institutions and the Diocesan Units to learn to Collaborate and Network so that Health Ministry today in the rural areas is still relevant and necessary, against health care Industry. In this context, sincere collaboration and Networking are taking place under the leadership of CHAI, between Emmanuel Hospital Associations (EHA), Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI), and the Christian Medical Colleges all over India (Vellore & Ludhiana) which is called Christian Coalition for Health (CCH).

Today NECHA, as a Regional Unit of CHAI, exerts great influence in the rural areas of many states through its empowerment programme for women and child care, assisting the disabled for rehabilitation and Advocacy for the marginalized in the region. NECHA networks with CCH (Christian Coalition for Health) various Catholic Hospitals in the region, and updates the knowledge of Member Institutions, takes initiatives with various NGOs who serve the interest of the less reached in rural areas in North East.

Geographical Area of Intervention:

NECHA, covers seven states of North East India, and has 15 diocesan units, registered under CHAI, with 318 of member Institutions, which comprises hospitals, rural health centres and holistic care centres

Organizational Set Up

FACILITIES

NECHA has a training centre cum conference hall for 100 persons with simple but good accommodation for 40 persons on twin sharing basis. All Regional meetings and trainings are organized at NECHA since 2013. Mobility India, Networking of blood banks under CHAI, CBCI CARD RNTCP Regional office were also functioning at NECHA. The CRS is maintaining a small office within NECHA building completing three earlier projects of Disaster management and Rehabilitation of Guwahati, Tezpur and Bongaigaon dioceses.

AREA OF EXPERTISE
NECHA has got a well equipped and experienced resource team on the following subjects: -

STRENGTH OF NECHA
 
NECHA has its own land and building with its own Office at Guwahati. Sufficient infrastructures are available for its staffs as well as the other beneficiaries aspiring to undergo different training programmes in the Centre.

Most of the 15 diocesan units of NECHA have a Diocesan Unit with well established executive body. Health being a priority, the Bishops of 15 Dioceses, support and encourage the rural health services, rendered by Sister Nurses in the remote areas of the Region where no government facilities reach.

NECHA has got a strong and vibrant Executive Body and Councillors of its own with the diocesan unit presidents as its members.

It has a Bishop as an ecclesiastical adviser Rt. Rev. Joseph Aind SDB, who is the Chairman of the Health Commission of North Eastern Catholic Bishops Conference of India.

Though the Region was isolated from main land India, due to its geographical location and the uniqueness of plurality of Austro-mongoloid tribes and linguistic and cultural diversities, very different from other parts of India, is fast developing in infrastructure and communication. This has enabled more awareness and skill development due to Education, and improvement of Health. NECHA,s nurse sisters are welcomed and respected even by the most remote and isolated villagers.

The North Eastern Regional Units of Sister Doctor’s Forum’ and Catholic nurse’s Guild were formed at the initiative of NECHA.

A small library with sufficient information on Health is a great asset for NECHA.

Qualified and competent Resource Persons with long years of experience is the backbone of NECHA.


ACHIEVEMENTS

Community leaders numbering more than 400 have been trained on the VCHC concept, leadership, Herbal medicines and community Health.

379 Health Workers and community leaders were trained to diagnose simple diseases and dispense standard medicines.

119 persons have been trained to assist conflict situations in their areas and enable local people to handle certain conflict situations.

1085 persons were made aware on the different issues of health in three parishes of Tezpur Diocese from 2010-2013. 1400 families in 20 villages of Sonapur and Nagrijuli zone have benefitted from awareness on various communicable and non communicable diseases from 2012-2016. 43 young women benefitted from that IGPS trainings in the last 4 years.

Many activities empowering rural women had been taken up in Tangla, Chandrapur, Sonapur, Nagrijuli, Dibrugarh and Imphal, with great success of creating awareness on Sanitation, Hygiene, Health, Communicable & non-Communicable diseases, with emphasis on T.B, Malaria, and HIV/AIDS. The training on Disability has given new Knowledge on the reasons of disability and removed their Superstations of children being born with disability. Medicated mosquito nets were distributed to over 1700 families. The Income Generation training has helped 43 women from 2012-2016 to earn an income by tailoring, Knitting and weaving. Some women, after “Hospitality training” has gone to work outside the region, Ahmadabad, Pune, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka to earn better, working in well known companies. NECHA trained 65 village Adult Literacy Teachers who after training conducted Literacy and Awareness to women and children in 10 villages in Sonapur area and 10 villages in Nagrijuli area for two years each. Literacy classes has helped more than 1800 women & Children to become confident by learning to read and write, and became aware of the need of educating girl-child. SHG training has helped women in the villages to form SHG (65) and become independent financially. Awareness and animation on various diseases has improved the health scenario in the targeted villages. This was seen during the free medical camps in the villages. Supply of vitamin A to children under 5years, multi vitamins for pregnant women and lactating mothers, and food supplements to pregnant mothers, emphasis on institutional delivery has brought down the Mother Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) considerably. More than 1800 mothers became beneficiaries of multi vitamin supply in 2016. Nutritional classes have made the rural women aware of the importance of nutritious food to the girl child and pregnant mothers. The empowerment of women in the rural areas of Sonapur and Nagrijuli has made the mothers and women, aware of the need of living harmoniously in the village inhabited by various tribes and ethnic groups. The programme has driven home the importance of religious harmony in the village communities.


NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

NECHA is sharing good relationship with the following regional, national and international bodies.

GOVERNMENT

National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development (NIPCCD) Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS)
Directorate for Health Services, Assam
State Health & Family Welfare Department, Assam
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Guwahati

INGOs

International Service Association –India (INSA-India), Bangalore.
United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF).
World Health Organization (WHO)
Cordaid – The Netherlands
Misereor – Germany
Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS)
MANOS UNIDAS (Spain)
Kindermission, Germany
Kinder Not Hilfe, Germany


NGOs

Catholic Relief Service (CRS) Guwahati.
AIDS Prevention Society (APS), Guwahati.
National Alliance Mission (NAM) Guwahati.
NACO, Guwahati
Bosco Reach out (BRO), Guwahati.
Rural Resources & Training Centre (RRTC), Umran - Shillong.
Guwahati Gana Seva Society (GGSS), Guwahati.
North Eastern Diocesan Social Forum (NEDSF), Guwahati.
Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati
ASMI that deals with detection of cancer in women, Pratiksha Hospital Guwahati
National Medical Services Consortium (NMSC) Kharguli Guwahati
CHAI Hyderabad
Christian Coalition for Health (CCH), New Delhi
Mobility India, Banglore
CBCI CARD, New Delhi