PANAJI: Procter & Gamble (P & G) Health Limited (formerly known as Merck Limited) announced its partnership with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to implement a digital health project in the state of Goa under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program ‘SEHAT’.
Speaking about the programme, Milind Thatte, managing director, Procter & Gamble Health stated, “The uniqueness of this project is the coming together of diverse partners who are pooling in their resources and expertise to make a sustainable difference to public health in the state. Funded by P&G Health, the project will be implemented by PHFI in partnership with the Directorate of Health Services and Department of Women & Child Development and comprises the deployment of PHFI’s ‘Swasthya Sahayak’ digital device at 30 ‘Health and Wellness Centers’ to improve delivery of reproductive and maternal health services.”
The project was launched at an event at Goa by Union Minister of Women and Child Development, and Textiles Smriti Irani, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Public Health Foundation of India president Dr K Srinath Reddy and Procter & Gamble Health managing director Milind Thatte.
Speaking at the launch event, Vishwajit Rane stated, “We are very excited to be working with P&G Health and PHFI to deploy this innovative program at ‘Health & Wellness Centres’ across Goa. Using the portable ‘Swasthya Sahayak’ device, frontline health workers and anganwadi workers will be able to digitize health information of families, conduct diagnostic tests for early detection of deficiencies, identify high-risk pregnancy cases for timely referrals, and help promote healthy lifestyles that benefit both mother and child. Our teams at the Directorate of Health Services, and Department of Women & Child Development will be working together to extend all required support to PHFI to ensure effective project execution and impact.”
Speaking about the ‘Swasthya Sahayak’ device, Dr K Srinath Reddy stated, “The Government of Goa’s initiative to improve maternal and child health at the primary level by the introduction of point of care systems at Health and Wellness Centres is a welcome initiative. Technology enabled frontline health workers- most of them women- can transform primary health services and contribute to accelerated reductions in maternal and child mortality. Swasthya Sahayak provides point of care diagnostic services with decision support systems to assist frontline health workers to advance community-based healthcare in a vital area of India’s human development.”