Society for Education Action and Research in Community Health

Domain of work

SEARCH has its domain of work in the following areas.

1. Home Based Neonatal Care. SEARCH’s strategy to curb infant deaths relies on training community health workers to diagnose and treat newborn diseases and has been dramatically successful in reducing infant mortality. Over a span of 15 years, SEARCH has been able to reduce infant mortality in its intervention area by 75% to around 30, by providing home-based newborn care (HBNC).
2. Women's health/men health
3. De-addiction
4. Surgery camps

The approach

The SEARCH approach is to "Go to the people, Live among them, Love them, Listen to them, Learn from them, Begin with what they know, Build up on what they have."

In 2006, SEARCH received the MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions. The MacArthur Foundation has awarded SEARCH $1,890,000 in grant funding between 2003 and 2013.

Scientific publications

Search has many publications in many medical journals. Below is a list of few of the publications.

1. Bang, Abhay T.; Bang, Rani A.; Tale, O; Sontakke, P; Solanki, J; Wargantiwar, R; Kelzarkar, P. (1990-07-28). "Reduction in Pneumonia mortality and total childhood mortality by means of community-based intervention trial in Gadchiroli, India" (PDF). The Lancet. 336 (8709): 201–206. doi:10.1016/0140-6736(90)91733-q. PMID 1973770. 
2. Bang, Abhay T.; Bang, Rani A.; the SEARCH team (1992). "Diagnosis of causes of childhood deaths in developing countries by Verbal Autopsy: Suggested Criteria" (PDF). Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 70 (4): 499–507. 
3. Bang, Abhay T.; Bang, Rani A.; Baitule, Sanjay B.; Reddy, M. Hanimi; Deshmukh, Mahesh D. (1999-12-04). "Effect of home-based neonatal care and management of sepsis on neonatal mortality: field trial in rural India" (PDF). The Lancet. 354 (9194): 1955–1961. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(99)03046-9. PMID 10622298. 
4. "Neonates in Gadchiroli - Field trial of HBNC in India (1993-2003)" (PDF). Journal of Perinatology. 25 (Supplement 1). 
5. Bang, Abhay T.; Reddy, M. Hanimi; Deshmukh, Mahesh D. (2002-12-07). "Child Mortality in Maharashtra" (PDF). Economic and Political Weekly. 37 (49): 4947–4965.