Australia-Smile Foundation on a path-breaking mode for community health in India

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government in collaboration with Smile Foundation and Karma Healthcare have announced a path-breaking partnership initiative in India to increase community awareness on health and reduce existing barriers to accessing quality and affordable primary healthcare in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan.
Underscoring the partnership will be an intense community outreach programme, including public awareness campaigns, grassroots mobilisation, and screening drives for anemia, malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, and vector borne diseases.
According to the India National Family Health Survey, 56 per cent of the district’s women of reproductive age are anaemic, 42.6 per cent of children under the age of five are underweight and 12.9 per cent suffer from acute malnutrition. While the district has both public and private health care facilities, there is a shortage of clinics with qualified doctors.