MENU
back
en
  1. Home
  2. Projects
  3. High-quality healthcare services in rural areas

High-quality healthcare services in rural areas

Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access (ASTHA) aims at contributing to the development and expansion of sustainable and high-quality healthcare at the community level by training young adults (60% women) from twelve rural districts as skilled health workers. The ASTHA-project improves the health and living conditions of the local population and, at the same time, addresses the problem of the high number of un- and underemployed youth in Bangladesh. 
invalid
Nilphamari
25.943674
88.866156
invalid
Sunamganj
25.059394
91.401355
invalid
Patuakhali
22.357842
90.333032
invalid
Lalmonirhat
25.9923398
89.28472510000002
invalid
Rangpur
25.7438916
89.275227
invalid
Sylhet 
24.8949294
91.8687063
invalid
Barguna 
22.0952915
90.11206960000001
Bangladesh
Project duration
2019 - 2026

Donate for this project

Bangladesh suffers from both a shortage and geographic maldistribution of Human Resources for Health. The country had four nurses and midwives and six physicians per 10 000 people in 2019 while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 44.5 skilled health professionals per 10 000 population. The availability of primary healthcare services and skilled healthcare professionals is very limited in rural areas in particular.

The Project

ASTHA, formerly known as TARSAN, started in 2011 to address this gap in Bangladesh’s health sector. As a result of the project’s previous efforts, the Community Paramedic Training Programme is now an established professional training offered by private and public training institutes and governed by the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Young men and women acquire medical knowledge and specialised competence in the two-year course for Community Paramedics. Apart from theoretical training with a strong focus on mother-child health, they complete a six-month internship in a hospital. This qualifies them for diagnosis and treatment of frequently occurring diseases that are not complex. Moreover, the graduates are able to provide professional support during pregnancies and assistance at births.
 

ASTHA is currently in its third four-year project phase (2023-2026). The project works in the three areas:

  1. the modernisation and effective promotion of the Community Paramedic course,
  2. establishing private sector driven service offers for Community Paramedics that allow them to improve their business activities and service quality,
  3. fostering a strong engagement from relevant authorities to strengthen and promote the Community Paramedic profession nationwide.

ASTHA Phase III (2023 – 2026) is being implemented in twelve districts of Bangladesh: Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Gaibandha, and Bogura in the north, Sunamganj, Moulovibajar, and Sylhet in the north-east and Barishal, Barguna, and Patuakhali in the south.

Project partners

  • National and local healthcare authorities
  • Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • Community Paramedic Training Institutes
  • Community Paramedic Association
  • Technology companies
  • Business incubation service providers
  • Financial service providers

Expected Results

Improved healthcare services for people in remote communities

  • 185 000 community members (60% ♀) receive high-quality affordable healthcare services from Community Paramedics

Strengthened Community Paramedic training system

  • 30 Community Paramedic training institutes access training modernisation services
  • 1 350 Community Paramedic trainees complete the two-year training (60% ♀)

Strengthened Community Paramedic service provision

  • 1 440 Community Paramedics (60% ♀) access services that help them establish their business and improve their service offer
  • As a result, their annual average income increases by CHF 280

Financing partners

This project is financed by Novartis, the Evi Diethelm Winteler Stiftung, and the Laguna Foundation, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.

Videos for Community Paramedics

General service guideline in the time of Covid-19
(in Bengali)
Learn more
COVID Symptoms
(in Bengali)
Learn more

Downloads

Live Mag: Priming Paramedics (June 2017)
460 kB
Beneficiary Story - Marzia Akhtar Popi (2017)
702 kB

News

View all news from High-quality healthcare services in rural areas
Bangladesh
Initial vocational education and training
18.12.2023
ASTHA organised a validation workshop of the Community Paramedic (CP) Service Guideline 
ASTHA team conducted a validation workshop with relevant government officials to review the draft of the Community Paramedic Service Guideline, with the objective of ensuring quality service delivery of the CPs, especially in the rural areas of Bangladesh.  
Learn more
Bangladesh
Initial vocational education and training
23.10.2023
ASTHA and Shomvob has partnered to promote employment opportunities for Community Paramedics (CPs)
ASTHA team signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shomvob, a leading networking and job opportunities platform catering to the blue and silver collar workforce in Bangladesh. The objective is to enhance the employment and income prospects of community paramedics (CPs) in the rural areas of Bangladesh.
Learn more
Bangladesh
Initial vocational education and training
17.10.2023
Novartis Bangladesh visits ASTHA project sites in Sylhet
Dr. Riad Mamun Prodhani, Managing Director, and Country President of Novartis (Bangladesh) Limited, Head Value and Access & Public Affairs, SK Abdul Goni, and Sandoz Country Head, Nakib Rahman recently visited ASTHA’s project sites in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Cezanne Mujibul Hasan, Country Director, Swisscontact Bangladesh, and ASTHA team accompanied the officials on this trip. The visit fostered meaningful dialogue between the donor and beneficiaries, underscoring ASTHA’s role in addressing the need for quality healthcare in rural Bangladesh.  
Learn more

Thank you for supporting our work with your donation.

 

We need your consent to load this content.

We use the service of a third-party provider to offer this content. Please check the details and accept the service to activate this plug-in.

Cookie Settings