Opportunities for the development of drowning interventions in West Bengal, India: a review of policy and government programs

Abstract

Background: Four million people living in the Indian Sundarbans region in the state of West Bengal face a particularly high risk of drowning due to rurality, presence of open water, lack of accessible health systems and poor infrastructure. Although the World Health Organization has identified several interventions that may prevent drowning in rural low-and middle-income country contexts, none are currently implemented in this region. This study aims to conduct contextual policy analysis for the development of a drowning program. Implementation of a drowning program should consider leveraging existing structures and resources, as interventions that build on policy targets or government programs are more likely to be sustainable and scalable. Methods: A detailed content review of national and state policy (West Bengal) was conducted to identify policy principles and/or specific government programs that may be leveraged for drowning interventions. The enablers and barriers of these programs as well as their implementation reach were assessed through a systematic literature review. Identified policies and programs were also assessed to understand how they catered for underserved groups and their implications for equity. Results: Three programs were identified that may be leveraged for the implementation of drowning interventions such as supervised childcare, provision of home-based barriers, swim and rescue skills training and community first responder training: the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Self-Help Group (SHG) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) programs. All three had high coverage in West Bengal and considered underserved groups such as women and rural populations. Possible barriers to using these programs were poor government monitoring, inadequate resource provision and overburdening of community-based workers.

An Examination of Cases of Drowning in Water in Sinop Province

“…Gender distributions of drowned people 54 men (84.4%), 10 women (15.6%) drowned in water. Drowning disproportionately impacts those from middle-and low-income countries (MLICs), males (Tyler et al, 2017;Rahman et al, 2006;Gupta et al, 2020). Kiakalayeh et al (2008) reported that regarding to gender males were the vast majority of drowning victims (296 victims, 86.5%).…”

“…Drowning is a significant global problem in public health with a serious impact on the health standards of adolescents and children (Kiakalayeh, 2008;Rahman, 2006;Rein et al, 2012;Shrivastava, 2016). Drowning disproportionately impacts those from low-and middle-income countries, males and children (Tyler et al, 2017, Rahman, Giashuddin, Svanström andRahman, 2009;Gupta, Zwi and Jagnoor, 2020 ), and also, a significant cause of mortality in children in most parts of the world (Chauvin et al, 2019;Brenner et al, 2002;Jessula, Asbridge, Romao, Green and Yanchar, 2019). Children aged between 1-9 years are at particular risk of drowning, mostly in coastal and rural contexts where they are exposed to open water (Meddings et al, 2014, Tyler et al, 2017.…”

Identifying strategic priorities for advancing global drowning prevention: a Delphi method

“…Beyond national estimates, the priority for research investigating social and demographic factors is consistent with calls to focus on the social determinants of drowning and to look upstream for drowning prevention measures, particularly for children and adolescents. [43][44][45] Many of the case studies, and evidence based interventions instrumental in elevating drowning in global discourse can be traced to research investments in south-east Asia, and western pacific regions. 8 46 The search for context in other regions has the potential to generate new insights into drowning prevention, and result in further demands for intervention evidence.…”

Determinants of NPLs of Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage Program in India: Empirical Evidences and Policy Implications

“…SHGs also create a social space for women to discuss their concerns and opportunities that considerably improve their confidence and self-esteem (Al-Kubati & Selvaratnam, 2021; Rajeev et al, 2020). Further, SHGs are integrated with the local governments and hence they act as agents of social and economic change by implementing several development programs (Gupta et al, 2020).…”