Health Outreach Initiatives
Access to quality and affordable healthcare is critical for improving overall health, identifying preventable diseases, and managing existing medical conditions. Through prompt, reliable and quality healthcare early diagnosis and intervention, can significantly improve treatment outcomes and save lives.
Reliance Foundation’s Health Outreach initiatives aim to achieve this by providing access to medical care, particularly for vulnerable communities which make a positive difference in the lives of millions.
Through Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), Static Medical Units (SMUs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and periodic health camps across states including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, the programme has facilitated over 8.1 million consultations, benefiting vulnerable patients.
The Health Outreach programme is an optimal, cost-effective, high-quality replicable working model to provide an all–encompassing preventive and primary healthcare care.
It complements the available secondary and tertiary systems for low-resource clients (urban slum and chawl dwellers as well as the rural population) by providing free primary and preventive health care services at the doorstep of the needy.
The programme has a pyramid design. At the base, a team of health workers and nurses provide preventive health screening in the community. A unique, community engagement initiative, designed based on community needs, it enables promotive and preventive health and disease detection, especially for Non-Communicable Diseases at people’s homes.
The door-to-door health service is followed by camps in the same communities- focusing on high risk individuals for diagnosis confirmation, education and treatment initiation; all this leads to minimal loss to follow-up and maximal coverage.
Medical Mobile Units
The Medical Mobile Units, equipped with advanced technology, including cloud-based software for efficient patient management, bring essential healthcare services to the doorstep of beneficiaries, addressing their medical needs.
These are equipped with all essential medicines and point-of-care devices for quality primary care services. Static Medical Units complement the MMUs, offering diagnostic and consultation services focusing on chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Skilled doctors, nurses, and social workers play a crucial role in providing primary medical care to patients in need, with focused initiatives for vulnerable groups.
These units have been vital in providing crucial healthcare support during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in rural India
Need-based referrals
Based on need, specialty camps i.e. Ophthalmology, Orthopedic, Gynecology etc camps are also carried out in the communities. Teleconsultations and referrals to Sir HN Reliance Hospital and other hospitals are provided to those who need them for secondary and tertiary care.
The need-based, seamless referral to well-equipped mobile clinics in the community, secondary (static medical units), and tertiary centers (Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and other centers) ensures a continuum of care through the post-screening camps, appropriate referral and disease management, thus completing the cycle of health care.
Working to alleviate anemia, malnutrition, preventable blindness, cancers, hypertension, and diabetes, offering free treatment and regular follow-ups for those affected, it provides continuous support to all sections of the population focusing on different high-risk groups for different interventions.
Consultations and screenings
Since the programme’s inception in 2012 till 2022, Sir H.N Reliance Health Outreach programme has provided free consultations and screenings to 7,74,097 patients with 3,83,689 unique patient visits.
The health outreach team has screened 42,246 women for anemia with 46% of women diagnosed with anemia and achieved a 7% cure rate owing to our meticulous follow-ups. The total number of under-five children screened for malnutrition is 43,804 with 8% of cases identified for malnutrition who are undergoing further management and treatment to improve their nutritional indicators.
In the financial year 2022-2023, the Health Outreach programme team has provided free consultations to 1,55,104 patients. Over 33 thousand new families have been enrolled in the programme and 61,711 individuals have been screened. Over 28 thousand women have been screened for anemia and 10,495 children under age of five have been screened for malnutrition.
Under our new cancer screening initiative, 6,151 individuals have been screened and 105 suspected cases have been identified who underwent further counselling for management of any disease.
The Health Outreach programme has also started teleconsultation services to bridge the gap between patients staying at remote areas and our unit doctors. 602 patients were provided teleconsultation services and specialist consultations with our doctors.
Preventive care
Recognising the consequences of childhood malnutrition on adult health, nutrition awareness along with treatment are provided.
Support to people living with HIV, including children is provided, along with access to treatment and helping them adhere to their treatment regimens along with providing children access to care, treatment, and nutrition kits.
Cancer screening for high-risk individuals in vulnerable communities is another significant component of Reliance Foundation’s health outreach initaitives. With a focus on oral, breast, and cervical cancers, the effort is to ensure that individuals at risk of cancer receive timely diagnosis and care.
These multi-pronged initiatives ranging from primary and preventive care to cutting-edge tertiary care are aimed at building stronger community health and moving towards ‘Health for All’.
