Society for education action and research in community health

SEARCH was founded in Gadchiroli district in the year 1986. It is inspired by a social philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Its founders Dr.Abhay Bang and Dr.Rani Bang , received their medical training in India and their public health training at John Hopkins University. The organizations three missions are 1) providing health care to the local populations 2) training and education in health 3) Research to help shape health policies. SEARCH emphasizes that that field research should be conducted with full participation of local communities. Its community health action and research approach highlights the importance of living close to, and listening carefully to the health concerns of local communities.Research and solution building activities should then be structured around central health concerns as voiced by community members themselves. Solutions to health problems are tested rigorous field based trials, and then published for scrutiny by the scientific community and policy makers. SEARCH conducted a field trial in Gadchiroli on home based neonatal care from 1993-1998. SEARCH trained village health workers to make home visits, and manage birth asyphyxia, pre mature birth or low birth weight, hypotheremia, breast feeding problems, in addition to diagnosing and treating neonatal sepsis (septicamia, meaningitis and pneumonia). identified 39 intervention and 47 control villages in Gadchiroli district, with the study results demonstrating that SEARCH home based new born with HBNC approach reduced neonatal and infant mortality by nearly 50%. SEARCH maintains comprehensive Demographic Surveillance system in Gadchiroli, which records all births, deaths, migrations in and out, and marriages in that area. Its activities have now expanded into the areas of non communicable diseases, tobacco and alcohol consumption and adolescent reproductive youth, Youth sports for overall development etc......