Arogya Sangama: 3 Way Partnership of People, Providers, and Panchayat for Health

This is a two-year pilot project in the Raichur and Chamarajanagar districts of Karnataka, India aiming to enhance the overall performance of primary health systems, including service utilization, quality, and responsive care, specifically within the recently developed facilities called the Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs). It will leverage rural local government structures known as Gram Panchayat Task Forces (GPTFs) created during the Covid-19 pandemic to strengthen the services delivered by HWCs. The aim is to build capacities and empower these GPTFs to function as a collaborative platform involving people, panchayats, and healthcare providers. This approach seeks to promote-community ownership, grassroots synergy, and social accountability to strengthen HWC service delivery in rural Karnataka (India).

Group 1 Inclusion criteria * 18-49 years of age women who delivered in the last 12 months * Residents of the districts and living within the service área covered by intervention and control PHC-HWCs * Kannada speaking * Able to provide consent Group 2 inclusion criteria * 30 or more years of age * Not a known case of diabetes and hypertension * Residents of the districts and living within the service area covered by intervention and control PHC-HWCs * Kannada speaking * Able to provide consent Exclusion Criteria: * Group 1: women not in the age group 18-49 years of age * Group 2: participants younger than 30 years * Not residing in the service area covered by intervention and control PHC-HWCs * Unable to speak in Kannada * Unable to provide consent