Gonoshasthaya Kendra - GK

In 1973, GK introduced locally organised Health Insurance (HI) based on social classes and income. Rich people pay higher premium and poor pay little but receive comprehensive health care almost free. HI covers over 50% of all recurrent expenses. GK Social Enterprises partly cover the deficit and rest by local and international organisations. GK runs a special HI for rickshaw pullers and their families in Dhaka city with an annual premium of Tk. 100 only. GK is heading towards building cancer hospital with greater emphasis for the poor and marginalised people. Narikendra; GK's women development centre where rural women receive skill development in non-traditional trades such as electrical wiring, printing, bookbinding, carpentry, metal works, welding, motor driving, boiler, and power tiller operation and dyeing and finishing of clothes. Every paramedic learns to ride a bicycle.

On 1st May 1977, 40 women including a lady Dr Laila Parveen Banu covered 40 kilometres on a bicycle from Nabinagar to Dhaka to draw media and government attention. Over 70% of GK workers and 4 out of 10 directors are female. GK pays for the higher education of it’s female workers. Already two paramedics has been qualified as licenced medical doctor, five as microbiologists, four as pharmacists and seven as physiotherapists. In 1975, GK started a cafeteria in Dhaka-Aricha road run by young Jhorna Sarker. This cafeteria helped to acclimatise villagers and truck drivers with the visibility of women and promotion of soya milk. Since 1976, Gono Prakashani publishes many important books like Jhagarapur, Jekhane DactorNei, Birsrestho (in Bangla) and posters of liberation war heroes, martyr intellectuals, women's empowerment, public health matters, and disaster management. Monthly Gonoshasthaya is published since 1980 to expose unethical activities and excessive profits of Transnational Companies (TNCs).

In 1981, Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceuticals Limited (GPL) was established to manufacture high-quality essential medicines but at an affordable price. 50% profit has been reinvested GPL development, 20% for workers (mostly local women) and the remaining 30% for financing GK's other social programmes. Gono Bakery (1975), Gonomudran (1981), Gonoshasthaya Antibiotics Limited (1984), Gonoshasthaya Foods Limited (1991), Gonoshasthaya Basic Chemicals (1997), Gonoshasthaya Grameen Textile Mills Limited (1998) are the examples of GK's social enterprises.

GK involves local people in disaster management. GK promoted handmade chapatis instead Khichuri to avoid diarrhoea during flood. Thousands of villagers and school students in non-affected areas produce millions of chapatis in every 24 hours and transported them to different affected areas by boat. High-calorie biscuit and food mix promoted as survival food. Cattle feed is distributed free to prevent poor people in selling their domestic animals to butcher. GK team worked hard in Bangladesh famine in 1974 and Myanmar refugee in 1978, 1992 to 95, provided primary health care and food supplies during floods of 1987, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998; Cyclone and tidal bores in 1985, 1991, 1994, 2007, 2009; 1990 and to the victims ethnic violence in Mahalchari (Khagrachari) in 2005 and Baghaihat (Rangamati) in 2008 also to combat 1995 Malaria epidemics. Non-formal education does not benefit poor unless their children spend 5years in school. First Gono Patshala in Savar was established in 1975. GK runs 187 Gono Patshala in CHT and char areas with locally recruited female teachers. GK had built 124 educational institutes to be used as shelter during the disaster. GK Institute of Health Sciences runs Government approved three years diploma courses at Sreepur for Laboratory Medicines, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Xray-USG, and Midwifery. In 1994, GK sponsored Gono Bishwabidyalay. Every student whether studying Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Arts or Law must study the Liberation history, Gender issue, Ethics and Society, Environment, English, and Bangla for 1-3 semesters. The poor and ethnic minority people has reserve seats.

GK uses Bangla and Bangla calendar in its office work and local correspondences.

GK played a vital role for promulgation of National Drug Policy (NDP) in 1982 based on WHO essential drug list. The Policy had improved availability of quality medicines at an affordable price and raised hope for other developing countries. GK had promoted National Health Policy in 1991 to ensure health care for all with accountability of health professionals through local health authorities with elected Upazila Chairperson as head and UH&FPO as Executive Vice-Chairperson.

GK's advocacy resulted in the employment of 50% female teachers in primary school (1981), free education for girls up to class VIII (1988), a woman Vice-Chair in Upazila Parishad (2008), six months maternal leave for women and creche facility in working places. GK continues lobbying for the rational use of medicine and investigations, all intern doctors to work for six months at Union Health and Family Welfare Centres and to stop smoking in public, stop recruitment of smokers for public offices, and educational institutions.

GK hosted Peoples Health Movement (PHM1) in 2000 where representatives from 92 countries participated.

[Dr. Morshed Chowdhury, Tarun Chakravarty Phizoo, and Shandhaya Roy]

Courtesy: Banglapedia

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