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Kalingalasan has the typical concerns — will a government hospital be neat, have enough facilities, won't it have a bad smell? A younger man, presumably a disciple, quells all doubts with videos. Six short videos, showing the interiors of hospitals with bytes of doctors and patients of primary health centres (PHC) converted into family health centres (FHC), were released recently to show the work of the Aardram Mission of Kerala government. As many as 461 PHCs were converted to FHCs, say the videos, made for the National Health Mission (NHM).
The Aardram Mission was launched with the objective of transforming the public health sector, focussing on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. “These videos on converting the PHCs to FHCs were taken with a touch of humour, as a conversation between a skeptical man and another, so that it will be interesting and convincing,” says senior consultant at IEC/BCC (Information Education Communication / Behaviour Change Communication) at Aardram.
Gibin, a police official who frequently features in the popular awareness films made by the online team of the Kerala Police, plays the younger man in the film, while Riyas plays the doubting Asan.
“At first, it was planned as a documentary series but then it had to be interesting since the work done was important. So Sajeev Pazhoor, who scripted Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, wrote the script and directed these six films,” says Gibin.
The first of these was released by Health Minister KK Shailaja. It was on Aralam Farm, a tribal area in Kannur. Tribal people talk about having an accessible hospital in the neighbourhood. One tribal person also shows how they make sure elephants don't come near the hospital.
Watch the scenes from the short film
"We try to find such interesting stories in each of these hospitals, otherwise it'd be too dry. But to witness the change in these hospitals, you will need to go inside," says Sajeev.
They feel it is important to highlight the prejudices. Kalingalasan remains skeptical when Gibin talks about the new facilities.
"It is not just the hospitals, but also the effort of the people in bringing it up. At the health centre in Kadirur, people worked together to paint the fences on the path to the hospital as a community effort," says Gibin.