Wayanad has always had heavy rainfall and its topography, size and numerous water bodies make it vulnerable to landslides and floods. But no one was expecting the kind of rainfall and flood that Kerala received in the August of 2018. Hundreds of lives were lost, houses and properties damaged. Among them, health centres too got wrecked.
The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) estimated a loss of nearly Rs 110 crore to government hospitals alone. The rains were a lesson on being prepared to face another such disaster, should it occur. Health centres were rebuilt with this idea. It is monsoon time again in Kerala and the summer rains had been 130% more than normal, bringing concern on the preparedness of the state.
Dr Manu MS, State Nodal Officer on Climate Change and Human Health, says that the healthcare centres have been preparing to face another disaster by ensuring infrastructural support. In a recent webinar, he highlighted the rebuilding of the Pozhuthana Family Health Centre in Wayanad as a flood-resilient facility. A case study was documented by the National Health Mission and the DHS with the help of the Healthy Energy Initiative (HEI) India.
"There were only single floor buildings at the Pozhuthana Primary Health Centre (PHC) before the flood, with four to five rooms each. During the 2018 flood, water entered the buildings and all medical records were damaged. So were medicines and hospital equipment such as ECG machines," says Dr Manu.
The HEI study records these losses: medical records and equipment, medicine, structural damages to the building, floor of the mini hall broken, boundary wall collapsed, no power supply with backup generator underwater.
Equipments were damaged during the 2018 flood
It was under the leadership of the Medical Officer Dr Sushma PS that the PHC was then rebuilt.
"Dr Sushma single-handedly documented the damage to the PHC and coordinated with the panchayat members about the situation," notes the study. She restarted the health service with a medical camp at the panchayat community hall from the very day after the flood water receded.
The rebuilding exercise began within a week, with volunteers coming forward to do the cleanup.
"One option was to shift the health centre since we knew the present location was a flood-prone area. However PHCs are built in areas that make them accessible to the local population, it is to cater to thousands of people in an area. Shifting it would reduce the accessibility. So the next option was to rebuild it in the same area but make it climate-resilient," says Dr Manu.
Most of the funds for rebuilding the PHC came from the National Health Mission. The local panchayat also made a contribution. The rebuilding itself happened under the Aardram Mission of the Kerala government. Donations and support also came from social services and NGOs like SEEDS.
Among the new changes were compound walls that could withstand the pressure of water, a second floor where electricity backup is placed and where critical equipment, medicine and patient records could be shifted in the event of a flood. Other renovations include strengthening the walls of the building to withstand the pressure of water and concreting the front yard.
The rebuilt PHC eventually turned into a Family Health Centre (FHC).
"The preparedness helped us manage the 2019 flood more efficiently even though there was some waterlogging," Dr Manu adds.