CSSS focuses on the maintenance, protection and improvement of the health status of population groups and communities as opposed to the health of individual patients. The community health program for the rural communities is a much-felt need for a country like India with limited resources while the population is growing at devastatingly high rates.

Owing to the factors like illiteracy, low socio economic status, economic vulnerability and prevailing of norms pertaining to the gender discrimination and prejudices the women of the rural community are often at high risk for the maternal and reproductive health based problems. Due to the negligence and lack of awareness, the children are very often found unimmunized, or irregularity is noticed with regard to the routine immunization thereby putting the health of the child at risk. The prevailing unhygienic condition of the community due to the lack of proper garbage disposal facility, poor sewerage system both at the household level and at the community level, and people’s inclination towards self-medication makes the community people more vulnerable to diseases.

Recognizing the need for greater awareness on health and hygiene, CSSS has identified this important component as one of the cross-cutting areas of focus in all our project interventions in the villages. It has two-fold intervention with regard to community health promotion:

• Institutional care: It caters to the health needs of the individual/communities through its well-established departments that provide primary level health care and referral services.
• Community outreach: It includes health awareness campaigns, medical camps, school health programs and capacitating the health volunteers at the community level.

Operational Areas

Jammu, Smailpur, Mandal, Nowshera, Nagrota