Sofia, July-August 2016
Educational sessions on care for children up to 3 yrs old, health consultations, parental counseling – just a part of the activities implemented by the teams from BFPA and FSOGHAT “Sv. Sofia” in the boroughs of Hristo Botev, Fakulteta, Malashevci, Orlandovci and Filipovci under the project “Access to health services for pregnant women, young mothers and children up to 3 yrs old from groups at risk”. The teams are made up from BFPA experts, Ob/Gyn specialists, general practitioners, midwives, nurses, fieldwork experts. Up to the moment, in the chitalishte in Hristo Botev two educational sessions have been conducted with 30 attending women, in Fakulteta – during public meetings and home visits – more than a 100 women have attended the informational sessions, in Mlashevci and Orlandovci – around 30 altogether. Activities are being implemented in Filipovci, their reach is to be extended towards Zaharna fabrika and Bakurena fabrika where communities with difficult access to healthcare are also present. The topics of the educational sessions include breastfeeding, hygiene, childcare, care for the pregnant mother and the baby, thalassemia, healthcare specificities, prophylactics.
One of the especially important and emphasized on topics when presenting the activities under the project to each group is the importance of being part of the healthcare insurance system, respectively – paying regular health insurance installments for a constant and timely access to healthcare. During the QA module after that the questions concern all areas of medicine – they vary from the consequences of the rotavirus in children to hernia treatment.
After the sessions participants can make appointments for free medical exams at FSOGHAT “Sv. Sofia” as the main focus is on young women with children up to three yrs old who, besides examinations, can attend School for parents, can make appointments for consultations for young parents at the hospital and make appointments for their children to be examined for thalassemia.
One of the main prerequisites for successful activities under the project is the good coordination between the teams as well as within them. That was achieved by a number of preliminary coordination meetings and also by the good selection of the team members themselves. Another very important prerequisite for the success and sustainability of the project outcome is the skill of working in a multiethnic environment. Although the project is well under way, it keeps gathering speed and momentum and the idea of health prevention should be sustained after its formal end.
Find out more about the project here
