Community Paramedics bringing healthcare to the home

N.Buddamma, an 80-year-old elderly woman, is a resident of the Sikharchandi Slum area of Bhubaneswar, has been living alone without any family support. With no one to care for her or guide her, she struggled to manage her health and daily needs. Due to her age and isolation, Buddamma rarely visited medical facilities and was unaware of her high blood pressure, and over time, her condition worsened without treatment or monitoring.

Under the Health & Wellbeing of the Marginalized Urban Community project, four young women from the Sikharchandi Slum were trained as paramedics to provide basic healthcare services within their own community. These paramedic volunteers supported Buddamma through regular home visits and personalized counselling. They explained her health condition in simple, easy-to-understand language, encouraged healthy daily practices, and suggested age-appropriate home remedies. Recognizing her mobility challenges, the volunteers also accompanied her to medical check-ups, ensuring she received proper consultations and timely access to medicines.

At the beginning of the intervention, her blood pressure level was critically high at 290/98. With consistent counselling, simple home-based care, regular monitoring, and medicine adherence support, her blood pressure improved to 160/86, bringing significant relief and safety. Today, Buddamma’s health is stable, and she feels cared for and supported.

This case highlights how doorstep service delivery of health services, awareness camps, screenings, and basic home-based care can ensure access to affordable health services to the most underprivileged slum communities.