CSR collaboration can aid development of public health and wellness

CSR collaboration – Arogya World is a non-profit worldwide health organization that promotes healthy lifestyle changes and health education in order to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic lung illnesses. Since prevention is at the heart of Arogya’s mission, they support healthier lifestyles for people all around the world through their programmes and advocacy activities.

All of Arogya World’s programmes are now prepared for scaling up, and corporate investment is invited and welcomed. The improvement of public healthcare and wellness in India will be aided by working with businesses through CSR efforts. In an interview with Rusen Kumar of India CSR, Dr. Nalini Saligram, the founder and CEO of Arogya World, discussed how the company is benefiting society and its citizens.

CSR collaboration

Nalini Saligram, the CEO of Arogya World, is here with us today. Please give a brief introduction of yourself, your company, and your main intervention area.

I am Nalini Saligram, the company’s creator and CEO. I graduated from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore with a Ph.D. in biochemistry. I had the chance to work and live all over the world in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. I vowed to use my experience to my advantage in order to meaningfully impact world health. The Arogya World was created in this manner. It is a global health non-profit organization with a PAN India operation that was founded 12 years ago and focuses on diabetes prevention via healthy living.

Why did you decide to work in healthcare?

I used to be a member of the Dean’s Council at Emory University in Atlanta’s School of Public Health about 15 to 20 years ago. We learned about Dr. William Foege, the sole fighter against smallpox. I made the decision to devote my life to public health after being moved by his path. Having said that, I also stay motivated by regularly interacting with public health professionals.

Why did your group decide to focus primarily on Diabetes?

I wanted to be able to inform others who were uninformed of lifestyle changes that can postpone or prevent Diabetes and inspire them to adopt healthy habits because I had lived with gestational Type 2 Diabetes and there was a family history of the condition. Second, many of my peers who were studying public and global health were working on issues like HIV, women’s health, and under-5 mortality. Unlike them, I wanted to use my experience in both science and communications to investigate unorthodox areas. Since non-communicable diseases are one of the main problems facing our country, I chose diabetes. I could alter public attitudes around health through argument and science.

The Diabetes capital in the globe is India. What are the causes of the nation’s rising patient population?

Diabetes, heart disease, some malignancies, and chronic lung illnesses are all considered non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by the World Health Organization (WHO) because they cannot be spread like infectious diseases. They do, however, have a chronic character and impact 2 out of 3 patients. In India, non-communicable diseases account for the majority of fatalities. NCDs are a problem that affects more than only wealthy nations. Socioeconomic issues including poor access to healthcare, false information, and overcrowding have a severe negative impact on middle- and lower-income countries.

Diabetes is genetically more likely to affect Indians. According to research, Type-2 Diabetes can develop in Indians up to 30 years of age—20 years earlier than in the West! With 75% of the population either having diabetes or being pre-diabetic, the problem is made worse in urban metro areas.

How can businesses work with the healthcare industry to raise awareness and support appropriate interventions through CSR initiatives?

The role of the corporation is varied. For instance, employee health programmes that prioritise both the physical and mental wellness of employees while also providing advantages to their families. Arogya World’s “Healthy Workplace” programme rates and honours businesses according to standards for both physical and emotional health. Additionally, using technology and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to improve adolescent health can reach a wider audience and encourage more individuals to lead healthy lives.

The primary effect of Covid has turned out to be mental health. The mental health and wellbeing of businesses’ employees and communities must be prioritised. Covid and diabetes were found to be closely related currently. People were more sensitive to Covid and more likely to die from the disease if they had underlying medical conditions like Diabetes. We must properly prepare our bodies if we want to stop the next pandemic. Companies may lead the charge in efforts for both society as a whole and their own personnel. Using a multi-stakeholder strategy, the commercial sector, the government, and civil society can work together to improve public health and welfare.

How can businesses collaborate with your initiatives?

All corporate involvement is welcome at Arogya World. The Healthy Schools initiative offers a number of options in various states. Partnerships with the Goa government, the Bandar district of West Bengal, Bangalore, Karnataka, and Maharashtra are a part of our present activity. Our ability to extend our operations across several states is facilitated by a multilingual programme. In order to expand the capacity of the healthcare system, we want to partner with corporate entities and government agencies. All of Arogya World’s programmes are now prepared for scaling up, and corporate investment is invited and welcomed. The improvement of public healthcare and wellness in India will be aided by working with businesses through CSR efforts.