India is a land of contrasts, with vast economic growth on the one hand and great poverty on the other. Around 900 million of the 1.29 billion inhabitants reside in rural areas with extremely limited access to medical care. Through the “Swaasthya Yaatra” program launched in 2012, we are helping support remote regions by providing our expertise and products. In doing so, we are improving the living conditions of people in India while also tapping into new markets.
Physicians and pharmacists in rural areas of India often lack the latest medical training. This is where we are taking action. Through our unique initiative “Swaasthya Yaatra”, which roughly means “journey to health”, we have helped train around 3,000 physicians and 1,000 pharmacists in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. The program keeps medical professionals up-to-date on the latest medical developments and also supplies them with drug samples.
To provide this service, specially equipped “health vans” drive along 50 routes every two months. These vehicles contain a video system, a flat-screen monitor, posters, information material, and medicines. In 2015, we had three vans in operation. At locally held seminars, physicians and pharmacists are informed about new therapies and medicines. Videos teach basic information on subjects such as splinting broken bones and suturing wounds, as well as primary care in diabetes, high blood pressure, cough treatment, and malaria prevention.
But we intend to do more than this. Through our expertise and medicines, we aim to expand our presence in rural areas of India while also making healthcare more accessible. We are continually working to build in-roads to other remote regions.
70%
of India’s population lives in rural areas and has very limited access to medical care.
3,000 physicians
and 1,000 pharmacists in rural parts of India have been provided with information on common illnesses and key treatment methods.
Interview with Dr. Chauhan
Dr. Singh Chauhan
Dr. Singh Chauhan has been practicing medicine for 35 years in Patan, a rural region located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Dr. Chauhan, what challenges do you face?
Big hospitals, medical specialists, and modern medical devices are available in places such as Delhi, or even the regional capital of Lucknow — a city located around 90 kilometers from Takia Patan. But such things don’t exist here, where water comes from a pump in the courtyard and electricity flows from the socket for just ten hours a day. I do what I can, yet the possibilities open to me here are sometimes very limited.
What are the ailments that you typically treat?
The most frequent illnesses are diarrhea, malaria, fever, dehydration, anemia, and bowel inflammation. These complaints are often caused by poor quality water, insufficient knowledge about hygiene, poverty, an unbalanced diet, or malnutrition.
How has the Swaasthya Yaatra program been helping you with your work?
Regular seminars provide me with invaluable information on new treatment methods and medicines, information to which I would otherwise never have access. My patients ultimately benefit from this as well.
