Health

BGM has focused on a number of health issues including providing safe drinking water (wells/pumps), sanitation (toilets), an eye clinic, an ayurvedic clinic and some health awareness education.

Safe drinking water
Having identified specific places where clean water is available BGM have constructed seventy-two wells across villages in Neyyardam. It has proved difficult to maintain and keep clean communal wells so instead each well has been assigned to a specific family. Each recipient family has to sign an undertaking to maintain the well and allow other villagers to freely use it. Each well costs around 15,000 Rupees to build.

Sanitation
Without toilets villagers were using the shores of the reservoir and open spaces causing pollution and the spread of disease. Coupled with education on the need for toilets and good hygeine BGM has now provided one-hundred and fifty-six to individual families throughout the local villages. As with the wells providing communal toilets was unsuccessful. So, each recipient family has to sign an undertaking to maintain the toilet and allow other villagers to use it. Each toilet costs around 9,500 Rupees to build.

Ayurvedic clinic
Ayurveda (the science of life/health) is the ancient Hindu system of medicine based around natural remedies. It is widely practised in the villages around Neyyardam. BGM pays one ayurvedic doctor and two assistants to run a free clinic. The clinic is open each Wednesday and around forty people attend for treatment. The clinic is situated within the forest and although people have to cross the Neyyar reservoir by boat and then walk 2km it is still much more local and convenient than any other clinic/hospital. In this respect it especially benefits the tribal people that live in the forest. Where people are too sick to travel the doctor will make home visits.