Can we learn from Jumna

The experiences of volunteers from New Zealand working on a primary health care project in the Indian village of Jumna in the Himalayan foothills are compared with the health awareness lacking in New Zealand. The project was organized by Asian Aid sponsored by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The chief goals of the project during this trip in 1987 were to diagnose treat and teach preventive care of tuberculosis to treat childrens skin infections and to distribute improved cookstoves. Asian Aid paid for medicines and gave children who attended clinics free healthy meals. Children were immunized and given immunization cards as the few who had shots usually only 1 series had no record of which vaccinations they had received. Another mode of preventive care was to provide children with soap and skin antiseptics for infected insect bites and scabies. After being taught to wash hands and bathe daily most of the many sores on childrens skin disappeared within 3 weeks. After 15 years the primary medical care project in this village has eliminated almost all disease. In contrast most people in New Zealand die of cardiovascular disease. The author surveyed 20 people from Tauranga at random and found that knowledge of heart disease incidence and preventable risk factors was approximately as low as that of the Northern Indian villagers of their own health risks.