Human Relief Organization

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 VOLUNTEERISM FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (VCD)
 

Volunteerism for Community Development (VCD) Program is the custodian of volunteerism in NCHD. It is directly fulfilling the community participation task as mentioned in the mission of NCHD and which is also a part of the NCHD Ordinance. All the volunteers identified and trained for support of various programs implemented by NCHD, are registered with VCD. VCD is also undertaking tasks in connection with achievement of MDGs, which may or may not be a part of the other programs of NCHD.
 

The Mission of VCD is to create a volunteerism movement for the achievement of MDGs. Major focus is on health and education.
 

1. Support to Medical Facilities by Volunteers

 (Volunteer Medical Station – VMS)
 Why to Provide Support to Medical Facilities?
 

When patients or their attendants visit the Hospital, they are mostly in emergency and are confused about various important locations in the facility, like the Emergency Ward, other wards, the Operation Theatre, the Pharmacy, etc. In order to guide and facilitate them, VCD has established Volunteer Medical Station (VMS) administered by the local volunteers.
 Support is provided at the Government District Headquarters’ Hospitals. There are four major purposes to be achieved through this activity:
 

1. To provide blood donations to needy patients
   
2. To provide financial support to needy patients in the form of medicines and laboratory diagnosis.
   
3. To provide transportation for needy patients and dead bodies where the dependents are unable to do so
   
4. To promote the mandate of NCHD
   

How to provide such support?
 A Volunteer Medical Station (VMS) is set up at the District Headquarters’ Hospitals of each program district. A standard design has been prepared for such desks. Volunteers are identified to be at the desk (at least two in number at any given time) from the start of business at the hospital in the morning till 3 p.m. (timings are flexible for volunteers depending on the situation in the district). NCHD will provide a nominal cost of food at the rate of Rs.50 per volunteer per day. A pool of 10-15 volunteers may be trained and rotated as per convenience. Either the same two volunteers could work at the desk throughout the month or different volunteers could work on different days, depending upon the availability of the volunteers. Concerned FCs must visit the desk at least every alternate day and the District Program Manager Volunteerism (DPMV) must visit the desk at least twice a week. VCD must make sure that the following documents are available at the desk:
 

• Informative material about NCHD.
  
• The VCD Brochure.
  
• A list of Blood Donors (Volunteers).
  
• A list of Philanthropists who would like to contribute for the cause.
  
•  

Similarly, DPMV has also to make sure that following VMS records are maintained at VMS on prescribed formats:
 ·        Blood donations to needy patients.
·        Financial support to needy patients.
·        Blood donors list to be updated regularly.
·        Updated list of Philanthropists must be maintained.
 

Volunteers must be vigilant of the opportunities where philanthropists visiting the hospital show interest in financing either the whole project of the VMS or any part of it. In such cases, the volunteers must note down the contact number of the philanthropist and his/her address along with the type of commitment that the philanthropist is interested in making. This information must be collected by the Field Coordinator (FC) / DPMV during their visit to the VMS.
 Adoption of VMS:
 
Before discussion the possible option for adoption of VMS, we better workout the basic recurring cost of VMS.
 

• VMS Volunteers Honoraria = 50 per day X 2 = Rs.3,000 X 12 = Rs. 36,000/=
  
• Minimum financial support to needy patients @ Rs.2,000/= X 12 = Rs.24,000/=
  

There are various possibilities for adoption of VMS. Few of them are listed below:
 

• Philanthropist Forum
  
• Civil Society Organization
  
• Individual Philanthropist.
  

Adoption of VMS through Philanthropists Forum:
 Sole purpose of establishment of Philanthropists Forum at district level is to tap local resources for filling in the services delivery gaps in Health, UPE, Literacy and other social services. As the Philanthropists Forums are established in Phase-I and Phase-II districts, adoption of VMS – a basic intervention of VCD in Health Sector, must be given priority.
 

Scrutiny of the VMS recurring expenses, reveals that monthly expenses comes to the tune of Rs.5, 000/= per month and Rs.60, 000/= per year.  By experience it has been learnt that philanthropists are more interested in contributing in life saving activities and VMS activity is one of the most favoured activity in this regard.
 Adoption of VMS through Individual Philanthropist:
 

It has been observed that there are many individual philanthropists at district level, who are wiling to sponsor voluntary activities and provide all material support for welfare of communities but their main concern is transparency. By experience it has been learnt that philanthropists are more interested in contributing in life saving activities and VMS activity is one of the most favoured activity, wherein we can sensitize them about the needs and ensure them transparency of financial transactions.
 Adoption of VMS through Civil Society Organization:
 

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), with the mandate of service delivery in basic health care services may be explored at District level for possible adoption of VMS. Example of such CSO is Patients Welfare Association, professional association of paramedics/doctors, Family Planning Association of Pakistan or any other NGO.
 2. Medical Camps:
 

Why Medical Camps?
 Medical Camps are of two types:
 

• Camps held for treating/further examining the screened children of the Government Primary Schools through the School Health Program of NCHD in districts like Mardan, Mansehra and Karak
  
• Camps held for treating patients, mainly women and children, of an area which is culturally difficult to intervene in, which is far of and has either none or lesser medical facilities
  

How many Medical Camps should be held in District?
 Medical camp shall be held in each district on quarterly basis every year, i.e. four medical camps per district per year. However, the VCD team, under the supervision of the District General Manager (DGM) should try to mobilize funds in order to hold more than four camps.
 

How VCD Program go about the following types of Medical Camps?
 Medical Camp in Connection with School Health Program

• Collect data of the screened children
  
• Analyze the data and determine the number of children by type of disease to be treated in the camp
  
• Based on this information, determine the number of doctors and the amount of medicines/equipment to be required at the camp
  
• Determine the date, time and venue of the camp
  
• Encourage members of the Community Support System (CSS) to take roles in holding the camp in the form of logistic arrangements, medicines, transportation of children to the venue of the camp, and invitation to the required doctors
  
• Invite the District Volunteers (DVs), the Nazim, the MNA, the Senator, the MPAs and other opinion makers to the camp
  

Medical Camp in Non-SHP Districts

• Identify an area where the medical camp is most needed (no health facility available, difficult or no access, etc.)
  
• Collect data of the most prevailing diseases of the area (from the area and from the local doctors)
  
• Analyze the data and determine the number of patients by type of disease to be treated in the camp
  
• Based on this information, determine the number/type of doctors and the amount of medicines/equipment to be required at the camp
  
• Invite specialist doctors of the diseases identified, to the Camp. Arrange for trained paramedics.
  
• Identify and invite locally available eye specialist to these camps who may screen patients with cataract problem. These patients will then be treated in camps or surgical centres run by LRBT, Sight Savers, Shifa Eye Trust etc, specific for cataract surgeries.
  
• Verify the amount and type of medicines/equipment with the doctors invited to the Camp
  
• Determine the date, time and venue of the camp in consultation with the DGM and the rest of the HDSU staff
  
• Advertise the date, time and venue of the camp through all possible media at least 7 days before the camp is held
  
• Invite the DVs, the Nazim, the MNA, the Senator, the MPAs and other opinion makers to the camp
  

Medical Camp for Cataract Patients
 

• Identify an area where majority of the patients have cataract problem having no health facility
  
• Analyze the data and determine the number of cataract patients to be treated in the camp
  
• Based on this information, determine the number/type of doctors and the amount of medicines/equipment to be required at the camp
  
• Invite eye specialist doctors and any other organization / Civil Society Organization (CSO) to the Camp. Arrange for trained paramedics
  
• Verify the amount and type of medicines/equipment with the doctors invited to the Camp
  
• Determine the date, time and venue of the camp in consultation with the DGM and the rest of the HDSU staff
  
• Advertise the date, time and venue of the camp through all possible media at least 7 days before the camp is held
  
• Invite the DVs, the Nazim, the MNA, the Senator, the MPAs and other opinion makers to the camp
  

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