“Mobile medicine”

Sarubai Salve goes to work twice a day. She leaves her

home once at nine o'clock in the morning, and then again at six o'clock in the

evening, to visit people in her village of Jawalke. The village has about 240

families, and with another woman called Babai Sathe, Sarubai is responsible for

the health of the village. The women visit pregnant women and give medicine to some

of the older people. Today they are visiting their first patient. Rani Kale

doesn’t come from Jawalke. She lives about an hour away but her village doesn’t

have anyone like Sarubai to help mothers-to-be. Sarubai is checking Rani and

she is worried about the position of the baby. Rani might need to go to

hospital.

Half an hour later, Sarubai and Babai visit another

mother with a three-month-old baby. While they are checking the baby, Sarubai

also gives the mother advice on healthy eating and vaccinations. Jawalke is a

very different place because of the two women. They regularly deliver babies and

continue to help as the child grows up. There is a shortage of doctors in this

region, so village health workers are important because they can give medicine

and advice. 

‘A mobile team visits Jawalke once a week. The

team includes a nurse and a doctor. The mobile team meets with Sarubai and they

look at any of her patients with serious medical problems. The health workers

are an important connection between the mobile team and the local people.

Currently there are 300 village health workers in the region and the number is

growing.

Read the article. Choose the correct option (a-c) to answer the questions.

How often does Sarubai visit people in the village?