Palli Shishu Foundation of Bangladesh (PSF) provides primary health services, legal aid and income-generating programs to the less advantaged population of Bangladesh in order to improve their quality of lives. PSF has been striving for a long time with funds raised from its own sources and also financial assistance of USAID (since 1997 till 2018) in delivering Essential Service Package (ESP) to different parts of the country including extreme rural areas to serve the poorest of the poor. It was also supported from time to time by Tere Des Home (TDH)- Netherlands; World Vision International for Health and Sanitation Program, Inter Pares-Canada; PSF-MCH and FP Project supported by own fund and the Asia Foundation: German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) – TBA training program; and PSF Micro Finance Program supported by PKSF since 1998 till date. Important philanthropists of Bangladesh also made significant personal contributions for the development of PSF.
The MCH services of PSF began on the day of very founding of PSF, 1976, from its own source of funds. This was the vision of Prof. Tofayel Ahemd to give service to rural mothers and children which was of acute necessity at that time. Prof. Tofayel Ahmed simultaneously founded the Dhaka Shishu Hospital which later was converted into a Post Graduate Paeditaric Institute (Bangladesh Institute of Child Health-BICH) and was meant to give post graduate training to doctors of paediatric discipline, nurses, midwives, medical technologists, and Rural Medical Practitioners (Palli Chikitsaks).
Besides, PSF had started in MCH program from June 2021, after donor agency Surjer Hashi Clinics closed down due to lack of funds, PSF took initiative to continue rural poor Maternal and Child health services with its own funding. PSF authorities officially started Maternal and Child health services from 15th June 2021 respectively at Kazipur of Sirajganj district, Sujanagar of Pabna district, Pirganj, Pirgacha and Shukurerhat of Rangpur district in the buildings located in the organization's own premises. Already, laboratory related various medical equipments and medicine have been provided to easily facilitate the health care activities of the 5 clinics and Maternal and Child health care activities are currently ongoing in the 5 clinics
Till 2022, PSF was providing ESP services of his own sources through its 5 Clinics and 5 satellite clinics with the support of 30 CSPs in 5 Upazila’s of 03 districts i.e. Rangpur, Sirajgonj and Pabna. Most of these are located in poverty stricken areas of Bangladesh. Of the estimated 25,000 population, PSF has served 5,000 Eligible Couple (ELCOs) Out of 05 clinics.
All these Clinics were providing ESP services had five key components:
- Reproductive Health
- Child Health
- Limited Curative Care
- Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) and
Nutrition:
It had 50 Clinic staffs under the PSF-MCH program where 15 were technical staffs (Doctors, Paramedics and Lab Technicians). The program was supervised by a Executive Director, Prof. (Dr.) Md. Sirajul Islam. The program also had issues like Gender Violence, adolescent health through schools/colleges, dissemination of knowledge skills of safe delivery, family planning and reproductive health, sexuality transmitted diseases (STDs), consequences of early marriage and new-born care.