Development Communication

  RECPHEC   06 May, 2016

RECPHEC has been publishing health newsletter Bhalakusari bi-monthly &Women’s health tri-monthly since 1989. RECPHEC has also been publishing different advocacy & IEC material on different health issues. The main purpose is to provide user-friendly information on health, gender & development issues & women’s rights at community level through its different communication channels. These materials are used for awareness rising at community level & capacity development & advocacy on the people centered policy decision at central level. It is circulated in primary health care, Health Post & development units in 75-districts of Nepal. It is primary distributed to District Health Office NGOs, INGOs network, Women’s Development Section & District Health Office. It is also mailed to service providers to interested persons. It is circulated in literacy classes. It established as a most effective & credible health source newsletter. It has been noted that health workers had relatively better access to the newsletters which also served as tool for their continuous education.

Bhalakusari: Bhalakusari is an attempt to communicate and to empower the front line health workers. It provides information on current trends of health and diseases & changing practices of disease’s treatment technique and continuing education materials for health workers.

Mahila Swasthya: The women’s health news letters are focusing the women’s health and rights issues. Mahila Swasthya mainly focus on gender, women’s health and rights of women for active and conscious participation in social economic, cultural and political decision making and participation in social economic, cultural and political decision making and participation at the local and national level.

It was one of the first attempts to communicate with & empower the front line health workers. It provides information on current trends of health and diseases and changing practices of disease’s treatment technique and familiarizes the new issues on health as continuing education materials for health workers. It also serves the public providing health-related information and issues. RECPHEC is proud because many informal education facilitators are using the bhalakushari, as reference material in their Teaching/learning activities. These materials are used for awareness rising at community level and capacity development and advocacy on the people centered policy decision at central level.

Bhalakusari
Issue 131: Focuses on measles, asthma,gout, old age, healing touch & effect of cold drinks.
Issue 132: Focuses on Intestine, rabies, food poison & healthy foods.
Issue133: Focuses on oral health, bad breathe, respiratory system,brain hemorrhage
Issue 134:Focuses on kidney disease, anemia,non-communicable disease & rotavirus
Issue135:Focuses on earthquake safety, health precaution & rescue
Issue136:Focuses on common cold
Issue137: Focuses on high blood pressure

Women’s Health
Issue 72:Focuses on breast cancer, menstruation, Iron capsule &nutrition
Issue 73:Focuses on women & life choices. Other issues are on uterus prolepses
Issue 74: Focuses on mental health
Issue 75: Focuses on maternal health

Study on the impact of Bhalakusari and Women’s Health Newsletter: RECPHEC is planning to organize focal group discussions to the community people and front line health workers of 13 districts of Nepal to assess the effectiveness of the RECPHEC newsletter with special focus to its user friendly content, language and illustrations.