Mobile Health Units have long been recognised as an efficient mechanism to deliver quality health care services to far-flung and inaccessible areas that are otherwise difficult to reach. In such remote and inaccessible areas, Mobile Health Units, besides bringing the underprivileged, tribals and other rural communities into the ambit of healthcare services, fulfil the role of a robust preventive healthcare strategy. These Mobile Health Units render counselling, medicines etc. free of cost.
Mobile Health Unit Services include daily OPD, medicine distribution, awareness sessions, family planning, de-addiction etc. for a healthy and better life for the villagers. More and more Governments are looking to dispense best health services cost effectively to the public and MHUs have become the best channel to fulfil governments’ objective. The MHUs are the efficient medium to fill the gap until proper primary health facilities reach the remote and interior places. MHU services have successfully and positively alter the habits of the villagers and bring them to the hygienic practices and ways of life to evolve them to prevent diseases and allow the authorities to focus on nutrition for child and mother.
Department of Women & Children, Government of Gujarat, has been entrusting Deepak Medical Foundation since 1996 with the management and supervision of 67 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), under two Primary Health Centres (PHC), namely Sankarda and Angadh in Vadodara Rural block of Vadodara District, Gujarat. The objective is to ensure smooth implementation of Government schemes and services and improve the last mile ambit of ICDS services. Deepak Nitrite Limited have been helping with value-added services to the schemes such as medical checkup of children, 1,000-day follow-up of pregnant mothers to reduce undernutrition and ensure safe deliveries, screening of 600 adolescent girls (11-18 years) enrolled in ICDS twice a year for anaemia.
Public Health facilities hinge on long procedures and processes as they deal with saving precious human lives. For hospitals that handle a huge patient load with a high number of critical cases, the chances of mismanagement at all times are unavoidable. The risk is not fully preventable for public hospitals as several of them operate beyond their originally intended capacity and resources. It occasionally leads to care quality compromise provided at government health facilities. Commitment to improving accountability, transparency, and patient communication through Help Desk Services has proven to have the ability to reduce the risks and can save lives. Sir Sayaji Rao General Hospital is one of the government’s tertiary health facilities based in Vadodara.
To prevent the delay in providing services to patients needing critical care at the tertiary care facility and save lives as well as improve the quality of care of the services rendered through the Hospital effectively and efficiently. Help Desk has been working in SSGH from 2006. In 2022-2023 alone, 58,087 patients got the support from the Help Desk, and another 1,68,000 patients took advantage of medical buggies. Eighty-nine patients were facilitated for Blood Support and 358 patients profited from the Help Desk Sangaath.
Deepak Medical Foundation was established in 1980 to provide maternal and child care services with the aim of providing quality health care services to the community and industrial workers in and around Nandesari area. Gradually, the project expanded and added more services like General Medicine, Ophthalmic, Physiotherapy, Surgery and Dental specialisations. Supportive services like Pharmacy, Laboratory, Ambulance and Radiology services were further added to the facility. Occupational Healthcare Services was started under this project in 2013 and was able to cater to industries to meet their compliances regarding the health checkup of their employees.
Project Neem Sattva was conceived with the objective of providing opportunities for Women Self-Help Group. It is designed to bring succour and act as a source of livelihood to the women. The production unit in Dahej in Bharuch District commenced its operations in January 2021. It was managed by SHG members. They did commendable work with production and selling of various products under its banner. Mahakali SHG was given FDA license for production of Handwash and Sanitiser. Besides, the producer group members have been manufacturing a variety of soaps like Neem, Goat Milk, Charcoal Rose and Lavender etc.
To prevent the delay in providing services to patients needing critical care at the tertiary care facility and save lives as well as improve the quality of care of the services rendered through the Hospital effectively and efficiently. Help Desk has been working in SSGH from 2006. In 2022-2023 alone, 58,087 patients got the support from the Help Desk, and another 1,68,000 patients took advantage of medical buggies. Eighty-nine patients were facilitated for Blood Support and 358 patients profited from the Help Desk Sangaath.
The Government of India has made it compulsory for companies to conduct health checks of their factory workers every year. This was part of a draft code on Occupational Safety, Health, and working conditions enacted by the Ministry of Labor and Employment.
No reliable and fully functional laboratory was available in Dahej. The industrial units in Dahej had tie ups with Medical Laboratories in Bharuch for their annual/half yearly/quarterly medical check-ups and pre and post-employment medical check-ups of their employees. Due to distance and lack of reliable transportation, it was challenge to get the samples to the test laboratories uncontaminated at all times. The risk of contamination was a major concern.
Deepak Pathology Laboratory & Diagnostic Centre (DPLDC) & OHC is another initiative under the Deepak Foundation (DF) to serve the needy in such far flung and remote areas. DF is one of the leading civil society organisations established in 1982, under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, having its headquarters at Vadodara, Gujarat.
The vast experience of DF in implementing medical and public health services in rural and tribal areas, DF was well-equipped to establish a quality Pathology Laboratory & Diagnostic Centre and OHC with the accreditation of NABL in Dahej with an experienced team of Lab Technicians, Staff Nurses, Pathologists, and CIH Doctor.
DPLDC & OHC offers services of pre-employment and periodical health check-ups, industrial safety training, community health camps, and consultancy for OHC interventions.
The medical laboratory in Dahej by Deepak Foundation fulfils the requirement of the industrial clients and the general population in Dahej. In FY 2022-23, the laboratory has conducted 1,14,000 tests to benefit more than 2,000 employees of different companies.
Samaj Suraksha Sankul is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Deepak Foundation and the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of Gujarat, under which Deepak Foundation will be undertaking the operations and management of the Institute. Sankul is a residential and support institute for the visually impaired, physically challenged, and orphans with a school for the visually impaired. The goal is to rehabilitate children with special needs and enable them to live a life of dignity and independence.
Every child with or without special needs, their families, and communities are enabled to help the child unleash their full potential and become productive members of society.
To nurture all children with and without special needs in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment through education, therapeutic interventions and family support services.
Project Vivek Vidya is a Mobile Education Service catering to underprivileged communities. The rural, tribal and urban 105 communities/villages have low educational outcomes and limited access to quality reading and learning materials. Project Vivek Vidya is designed to provide with quality reading and learning materials through direct input supports. The project intends to promote children’s reading habit along with other competencies to set them on a successful academic path. Overall project approach has been to build cognitive and non-cognitive competencies to ensure children continue with their learning process and to reduce the drop out numbers. The project is currently implemented with more than 9,000-plus children in the age group of 6-15 years in Roha (Raigadh district of Maharashtra), Nandesari (Vadodara district of Gujarat), Maval (Talegaon in Maharashtra) and Urban Clusters of Pune city (Pune Maharashtra) and Jeedimetla (outskirts of Hyderabad) Telangana. In the academic year 2022-23 we had expansion with two new locations of Savli (Vadodara district of Gujarat), Dahej (Bharuch district of Gujarat).