Deloitte India – ‘Anemia Mukt Mahilayien’ program

Anemia Mukt Mahilayien – When our blood’s level of haemoglobin falls below the recommended level, we get anemia. Anemia can cause a variety of health issues, including excessive fatigue, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, irregular breathing, chest discomfort, numbness in the hands and feet, pale skin, challenges for expectant mothers, heart issues, and even death.

In India, anemia is a problem that affects a lot of people, particularly women. The main causes are a lack of iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and other vital nutrients. Women of that age who are able to procreate have a more persistent difficulty.

What is Deloitte India’s ‘Anemia Mukt Mahilayien’ programme?

The “Anaemia Mukt Mahilayen” (Eradication of Anaemia among Women) initiative is a three-month pilot programme that combines the efforts of the public, commercial, and academic sectors to deliver healthcare to residents at their homes. The goal is to lower the prevalence of anaemia in the targeted population, with an emphasis on children between the ages of six months and five and women between the ages of 15 and 49.

The basic concept is “Test-Trace-Treat,” and it makes use of volunteers and staff from the local community to spread awareness of improved nutrition, safer sanitation, and taking medications that are being given out.

Why did you choose to take up a project to battle anaemia?

Given its significant impact on women’s and children’s health, anaemia is a top issue for worldwide public health. According to WHO estimates, 42% of children under the age of 5 and nearly 40% of pregnant women are anaemic worldwide. According to estimates, anaemia reduces economic output in India by roughly 1.5% of GDP, or between Rs. 3.30 lakh and Rs. 3.70 lakh crores annually. Even if milder cases of anemia go unnoticed, if left untreated, they can worsen and become the root of a chronic condition.

Why did you focus your project in Gurugram?

In Gurugram, anemia affects 67.5% of women aged 15 to 49 and 67.7% of infants aged 6 to 59 months. The Gurugram District and its Chief Medical Officer were eager to investigate novel and integrated public-private approaches to promote transformation.

What kind of support did you receive from Gurugram District Administration to carry out this project?

The Chief Medical Officers of Gurugram and Farroukhnagar CHC, as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram and the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Farroukhnagar, were involved in all facets of the programme design, including fieldwork in the targeted villages, participation in outreach and communication programmes, testing camps, development of various clinical and administrative protocols, and evaluation of results.

Did you also distribute any food or food supplements for women and children to battle Anaemia?

To raise awareness and promote participation, a gift basket filled with regionally acceptable, protein- and iron-rich foods was offered. This contained roasted chana, jaggery, and mixed moong and masoor daals (lentils) (grams). All of these foods are consumed locally to support a diet centred on locally grown foods. The district distributed medical supplements (for de-worming and iron/protein supplements) in accordance with government regulations based on test results.

How many women and children have benefitted from your three-month-long pilot project?

More than 4,000 people were contacted as part of this project. Nearly one-third of the people living in the villages were touched by our focused programme. A little over 4000 participants consented to being tested and treated if they were found to be anemic.

Nearly 45% of those who had mild, moderate, or severe anemia at the time of the initial testing were no longer anemic, we discovered after three months. Additionally, all of these participants’ average haemoglobin levels increased from 10.2 to 11.5 demonstrating a change in behaviour toward accountability for better health outcomes. Similar to this, 79% of participants who were previously very anemic no longer were, potentially saving the lives of children and expectant moms. According to estimates, the population of these villages has an overall incidence of anemia.

When do you plan to start this program on a bigger scale in Gurugram?

With a view to expanding the initiative, we are in discussion with the District of Gurugram. In order to share knowledge and work on improving and expanding upon the current programmes, we also want to collaborate closely with the Government of Haryana.