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In Search of Health Care for Rural and Tribal People
Milestones
SEARCH HQ in 1986
  
1.
'SEARCH' registered as a public trust. Choice of Gadchiroli as the area of work (1985)
2.
Moved to Gadchiroli : the head-quarter established in a godown (1986)
3.
Failed collaborative experiment with the Health Department, Govt. of Maharashtra. (1986-88)
4.
Community-based study of gynaecological diseases in rural women (1986-87), published in the Lancet, 1989.
5.
Training of TBAs for reproductive health care (1988)
6.
Drew the attention of international policy makers to inadequacy of the mere family planning approach. (Nairobi)
7.
Developed a program of 'Women's Reproductive Health' (1989 - continued)
8.
Mass movement against alcohol (1987-93) - succeeded in introduction of prohibition in the district in 1993 resulting in 60% reduction in the alcohol consumption (saving worth 120 million rupees annually)
9.
Development of de-addiction program : first institutional, then village based. More than 2000 addicts treated. (1994 - continued)
10.
Construction of Shodha-gram - our head-quarters village (1991-93)
11.
Development of tribal friendly hospital (1993-95)
12.
Participatory health action programme in tribal villages (1998 - continued) : Tribal health assembly, malaria control, and finally income generation.
13.
Studies on reproductive health problems in males (1992-97). Developed an intervention program (1997-2001)
14.
Study of the reproductive health culture of women. Two Marathi books published. State award. (1992- 2000)
15.
Adolescent reproductive education programme : institution based, and then village based. (1995 - continued)
16.
Established vital registration system in 100 villages (1988 - continued)
17.
Pneumonia management field trial (1988-90), published in the Lancet, (1990). Neonatal pneumonia managed at home.
18.
Home-based neonatal care intervention trial (1993-98). Published in the Lancet, (1999). IMR reduced to 39.
Tribal Friendly Hospital
19.
Replication of the Home-based Neonatal Care at 7 NGO sites. ANKUR project launched (2002 - continued)
20.
Developed a training program on Home-based Neonatal care for the Govt. of India and for NGOs in India and abroad. (2002 - continued)
21.
Replication at 12 sites in India, and in Nepal, BanglaDesh and Pakistan.
22.
Hidden child mortality in Maharashtra and need for social audit. Concept developed and a multisite study at 13 places (1998-2001). The report published in 2001. Created wide debate in the newspapers and the State Assembly. The Chief Minister accepted the recommendations and announced corrective measures.
Training Center of SEARCH
23.
The state Government appointed ' Child Deaths Evaluation Committee' under the chairmanship of Dr. Abhay Bang. Two reports accepted in the State legislature
24.
The State Government conferred the highest award ' Maharashtra Bhushan' on Drs. Abhay and Rani Bang.
25.
The advocacy on child deaths in Maharashtra resulted in the establishment of 'Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Mission' under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister.
26.
Epidemiologic transition and emergence of coronary heart disease in India. Life style change approach. An award winner book in Marathi. (2000) and a series of public lectures in major towns in Maharashtra.
Visit of Chief Minister Maharashtra State
27.
'Aarogya-Swaraj' - A 90 minutes oration given on All India Radio (2003) broadcasted by 26 stations.
28.
Members, 'National Commission on Population', and the 'National Commission on Macro-economics and Health', Govt of India.
29.
A special supplement of the 'Journal of Perinatology' of the American Academy of Pediatrics and "Nature" publications, entirely devoted to the studies on Home-based Neonatal Care in Gadchiroli, published (March 2005)
30.
The TIME magazine selected Abhay and Rani Bang as the Global health Heros, and published the story. (31st October 2005.)