 The status of health is an important indicator reflecting social development and the quality of human life – and health care is one of the most basic human rights. Ensuring equitable access to health care regardless of people’s ability to pay for this is one of the major challenges faced by the health system today.
Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General at the 61st World Health Assembly in March 2008 (WHA), spoke of three threats to international security: the global-food crisis, pandemic influenza and climate change. She said that progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals could be achieved by revitalization of primary health care. "Countries with solid health infrastructures and efficient mechanisms for reaching vulnerable populations will be in the best position to cope" with threats to health security. "If we want to reach the health-related goals, we must return to the values, principles, and approaches of primary health care."
The Trusts in order to bridge these gaps have focused on research and knowledge building on measures to promote low-cost health delivery and health financing on the one hand and studies on non communicable diseases on the other. The focus of implementation support has been primarily on health issues of women (adolescent girls, maternal health) as well as on community health particularly with regard to child and maternal care and child nutrition; treatment care and integration in the main stream of the physically and the mentally challenged and the integration of the Indian Systems of Medicine. In addition, the Trusts have continued to support the creation of health infrastructure in hard-to-reach terrain. Strengthening the community-based maternity centres as well as training-cum resource centre for the training of village health workers is also supported.
Scaling up services in the community for people with mental illnesses is a priority international public health concern, especially in low-income countries where the treatment gap is appalling. The Trusts believe in the basic philosophy of the creation of a different and better world for mentally ill people through the community’s understanding of mental health and the resulting positive response of inclusion and ownership.
The Trusts have also undertaken an initiative to address the issue of gender based violence. The focus here is to view it as a health issue and address it within the framework of public health.
The 285 million urban population in India account for 28 percent of the country’s total population. The health of the urban poor is much worse than that of their better off neighbours and sometimes even of their rural counterparts. In this context, the Trusts have supported organizations who have been working to bring about sustainable improvement in maternal and child health conditions among the urban poor.
The Trusts have supported up gradation of medical facilities in government/trust run hospitals in order to ensure timely and effective health service. The Trusts have focused support on surgical interventions in children facing facial deformities. |
