Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - June 2009 - Index

“At the political level, most
males are associated with either
the Communist Party or the
Congress. They vie for leadership
and status in the slum, and
generally have the ability to
make things happen.
“Very complex, as I’m learning!
It’s quite challenging trying
to navigate this environment
and accomplish one’s work – it
seems to require a mix of flexibility
and stubbornness that’s
just so hard to get right!”
As Srivatsa works to implement
the micro insurance
scheme conceived of by Noah, his
Hindi is improving slowly. He
know bits of Bangla, too, but it’s
Hindi that’s mainly spoken in Fakir
Bagan as most of the residents are
migrant workers from Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh, with a few families
from Tamil Nadu.
The micro insurance
scheme aims to help
the very low income
population in the slum – around
3000 families or 15,000 people
live in two densely populated
streets.
Under the micro insurance
scheme, an annual premium of
Rs 60 ($1.50) entitles one to
care at private clinics and covers
all medical expenses including
scans, surgery and hospitalization,
if required.
The cost of healthcare at
private clinics is three to four times
that at government hospitals, but
people often prefer to go into
debt rather than risk treatment at
some of the government-run
facilities, says Srivatsa.
In The City of Joy, Dominique
Lapierre wrote about the
burden a family member’s illness
places on the poor.
For such poor people illness was
more of a curse even than death. A
doctor’s fee and the cost of medicine
could take several months’ income.
“The government clinics tend
to be understaffed, they don’t
have enough beds,” says Srivatsa.
• FACING PAGE: Happy faces in
Fakir Bagan. RIGHT: Srivatsa
Marthi, in T-shirt, at work.
“The first time I went to one, I
tripped over a dead rat. To be fair,
that’s not to say government
clinics all over India are like that.
We work with organizations that
say the government clinics they
are associated with are pretty
decent.”
Srivatsa is responsible for coordinating
the efforts of various
partner organizations, conducting
research and managing the
human resources.
It is in this context that he
interacts with Jayshree and others
like her who serve as community
health workers. Already
established as trustworthy individuals
in the slums, they are
trained to provide counselling
to pregnant women and newly
married couples. They talk about
the need for adequate antenatal
checkups and iron tablets, and
are trained to spot pregnancy
danger signs and address common
problematic practices during
pregnancy. This is addressed
not only to the woman but also
to her husband and mother-inlaw,
who need to support her
fully in improved practices
including adequate food and
rest during the pregnancy.
Srivatsa spends a lot of his
time doing surveys, focus group
discussions and holding private
sessions, explaining the concept
of micro insurance for which the
support is almost unanimous.
“They know there’s a need.
They have seen how easy it is
to get trapped in a debt cycle.
Someone gets sick, they borrow
money, and are soon selling their
assets to service the loan. So it’s
not like I have to ‘sell’ the idea
to them. I had more difficulty
dealing with insurance companies.
They weren’t sure that
we were in for the long haul and
came up with ridiculous premiums.
“It was intimidating. I felt
helpless. I have no actuarial knowledge.
The first seven or eight
months, I didn’t even know if
the project would ever take off.”
But with the support that it
received from the residents of
Fakir Bagan, Srivatsa is happy
to report that the scheme is up
and running and claims have
started coming in.
His enthusiasm for his
work is obvious, but
what keeps him in the
chaotic place he has now called
home for nearly two years?
After all, the streets of Fakir
Bagan, the mosquitoes, the
floods, the power cuts and the
local politicians, they are all the
polar opposite of clean, quiet
and sane Ottawa that he grew
up in.
“That stuff bothers you
initially, but you get used to it.
If I had to say what’s been the
hardest for me to adjust to, I
would say it’s that my language
skills aren’t where they should
be. I wish I could engage in the
culture of the city in a deeper
way – and for that, the onus is
on me.”
Since Calcutta Kids is an
NGO and not a charity, there are
no volunteers, only interns. And
Srivatsa gets paid for his work.
Rs 7500 ($187.50) a month.
“I think I might make a bit
more than that in Canada,” he
says with an infectious laugh.
“I’m fortunate my parents are
willing to fund a part of my stay
here. But I explain to my
friends, it’s not as bad as they
imagine! Things cost a fraction
of what they cost in Canada. I
can get veggies for Rs 5 and my
ONLY THREE PER CENT OF INDIANS had
any form of health insurance as of
2006. Twenty-four per cent of Indians
fall below the poverty line due
to hospitalization expenses.
June 2009 Desi News 11