Basic Health Centres and Health Sub Centres offer medical help mostly in remote regions. The health centres provide emergency aid, give assistance at births, maintain vaccination programmes and stock important medicaments such as antibiotics and painkillers. In addition, they also offer consultations and preventive work regarding questions of family planning and hygiene. The centres either have their own building or work from places that are made available by the villages. A Health Centre has 3 – 4 employees with relevant medical training.

The catchment area of a health centre is often rather large. Some of them care for up to seven villages in the surrounding area and the people often have to walk long distances to get to one of the health centres.

And even longer ways have to be overcome in case of more complex medical cases. The next ‘real’ hospital may only be reached by car in four to seven hours. In addition, in winter it is often not even possible or only possible with major difficulties to drive on roads in the remote regions.