Anahat USA is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We address gaps in access to public health by providing free access to high quality healthcare through community health camps and clinics in Bangalore, India. We support the on-ground activities of Anahat Foundation, a non-profit registered in India.
The Challenge
Health data shows us that barely 25% of India’s population has access to reliable health care. Access to and knowledge of best practices in preventive health is very low in both urban and rural poor communities. According to the latest data from the World Bank, India’s expenditure on healthcare (2015) stands at 3.88% of GDP, out of which 65% is out of pocket or private expenditure. Because of the high cost of private healthcare, and low or no access to government health services, most people in India tend to ignore symptoms and illnesses until they cannot bear the pain and discomfort. When they do go to a doctor, they usually need the quickest solution so that they can minimise their wage loss, or they will come in when the illness has progressed too far and the prognosis is poor.
The Solution
Strong preventive health practices can reduce medical care requirements for people living below the poverty line, helping them break the cycle of poverty and ill health. Healthcare delivery in India needs to shift from a hospital-centric (curative) model, to a community-based (preventive) model. This requires:
- Free and equitable access to high quality healthcare
- Health education to increase awareness of the need to make better health choices.
- Data to inform interventions, health policy, and investment in healthcare.
- Scale through collaborations between the civil society, the government, and the private sector.
The Anahat Clinic in central Bangalore provides free access to clinical consultations with a qualified allopathic doctor, medicines and diagnostic tests. We also conduct community medical camps through which we take primary healthcare to underserved communities across Bangalore.
