In all the activities an attempt is made to incorporate as well as balance the three basic principles : Social Service, Scientific Approach and Spiritual Outlook.
The medical and health related activities include: SEWA Rural's Jhagadia based 100 beds hospital provides round the clock OPD, Indoor and Emergency services. About 70,000 OPD patients and 12,000 indoor patients are benefited every year. 2800 deliveries and about 5000 surgeries including cataract are performed every year. 45% of OPD patients and 80% of indoor patients are treated for free. Unicef and Govt. of Gujarat has granted First Referral Unit (FRU) to SEWA Rural’s hospital under safe motherhood and child survival. The hospital is also approved for various schemes for BPL families like Chiranjivi, Balsakha and RSBY.
SEWA Rural managed a community based & family centred "Safe Motherhood and New Born Care Project” in entire Jhagadia Block covering 168 villages (pop. 175,000) and in partnership with government health department. With successful introduction of micro level interventions, there has been 74% reduction in maternal deaths and 40% reduction in Neonatal Mortality Rate as compared to baseline information. Institutional delivery rate has increased from 22 to 65%. A specially trained cadre of front line health workers at every village and a strong backup support provided by our base hospital in managing complicated referred cases were critical in making this impact. Implementation research on innovative mobile phone technology is being introduced to empower front line health workers for better community based surveillance and service delivery to promote safe motherhood and child care.
Comprehensive Eye Care Project covers Bharuch and Narmada districts. Every year almost 50 diagnostic camps are organized and about 40000 eye patients are seen at such camps and at hospital OPD. Even tertiary level eye care is available at base hospital and about 5000 eye surgeries of different kinds including cataract are performed every year, out of which almost 80% being really poor are treated free of cost. Under community based comprehensive eye care and rehabilitation programme covering 9 lac pop., so far about 900 blind persons have been rehabilitated by a trained cadre of Community Based Rehabilitation workers and about 125 children are being trained specially trained braille teachers either at their village schools or encouraged to join special blind schools. Under this programme, Jhagadia & Valia blocks were made cataract free as per WHO guidelines in 1998.
Health Training and Resource Centre provides training opportunity to about 1000 trainees which includes different cadres of health workers from voluntary organizations, government staff and students coming from various academic institutions of India and abroad.
Youth and Women Empowerment activities include Vocational Training Centre providing skill based training to about 100 rural tribal youth every year. Jobs are assured to every student in nearby industries while a few have established their own self entrepreneurship units. Various women centered activities - economic, awareness & empowerment, which were done earlier under aegis of SEWA Rural are, being undertaken by an independent organisation - Sharada Mahila Vikas Society since July 2002 benefiting about 500 women, adolescents and children every year.
