Top 10 NGOs in India Working in The Healthcare Sector

The Indian healthcare scenario presents a spectrum of contrasting landscapes. At one end of the spectrum are the glitzy steel and glass structures delivering high tech medicare to the well-heeled, mostly urban Indian. At the other end are the ramshackle outposts in the remote reaches of the “other India” trying desperately to live up to their identity as health subcenters, waiting to be transformed to shrines of health and wellness, a story which we will wait to see unfold.

One among the numerous challenges in the healthcare sector in India has been the lack of access to quality services for the poor and marginalized communities. This has been largely due to dismal investment in public healthcare which is just at 1% of the GDP — among the lowest in the world.

To help cope with the burden on government bodies, Non-Governmental Organizations step in. 

The outreach activities are the main health activity of about 88% of subsidiary health-NGOs in India. Generating awareness to targeted populations is the major sub-component of outreach for Indian NGOs. 

Around 68 out of 100 NGOs have reported health awareness as their outreach activity. An organization may play roles in several health activities simultaneously. 

Here are 10 organizations in India working in the healthcare sector. 

Rural Health Care Foundation 

Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF) has been working for healthcare since 2009 and provides high quality and affordable primary medical care to low-income and underprivileged groups in West Bengal.

Their aim is to make healthcare accessible to the poorest and the most deprived sections. 

RHCF has 17 centers operating across the state which include 12 centers in remote rural areas. 

The organization says, “The healthcare centers provide patients with affordable medical consultations along with a week’s supply of free medication. To date, over 23 lakh patients have been treated at the RHCF centers.”

Their goal is to continue improving the health and lives of the underserved who face social and financial challenges.

Foundation for Mother and Child Health 

This organization ensures healthcare and nutrition intervention for women and children in vulnerable communities of Mumbai. Their programmes encourage preventive health, balanced nutrition and child development practices in underprivileged settlements. 

The organization says, “We have adopted a holistic approach to embrace, educate and empower mothers and children in their social environment. A FMCH Training Center in Mumbai was launched with the objective of developing a cadre of professionals across Maharashtra and eventually the entire country. Our programmes impact over 930 pregnant and lactating mothers annually.” 

Urban Nutrition Initiative and Project Poshan are nutrition-specific interventions where FMCH works closely with the families and large groups to promote good health, hygiene, and nutrition practices. 

Source: Swasthya Swaraj

Swasthya Swaraj

With healthcare and education as their areas of focus, this nonprofit is working towards making good health a reality for the poorest and the underserved. 

Swasthya Swaraj’s overall efforts are towards creating a just and equitable society, free from the shackles of ill health, illiteracy, and poverty. For this, they have created a team of doctors, senior nurses, community nurses, lab technicians and support staff. This group travels to the hard-to-reach clusters in project villages. 

It has set up model community health programmes in tribal areas like Thuamul Rampur Block of Kalahandi district in Odisha, where families are destitute and their children grossly undernourished. The tribals living here are too familiar with deprivation, sicknesses, and deaths – many unreported and from preventable causes.

The organization says that their Comprehensive Community Health Programme is active in 76 villages and that it adopts a unique community empowering model to expand its reach. 

Charutar Arogya Mandal

The Charutar Arogya Mandal was formed in 1972 as a trust and society to demonstrate how a rural community’s health care needs could be met. It was launched with a vision to offer comprehensive and compassionate health care to everyone and anyone who needed it.

The Mandal provides comprehensive healthcare at an affordable cost to rural communities in the Anand and Kheda districts of Gujarat. 

“With the introduction of the Ashirwad scheme, we have systemized offering substantial waivers in outpatient, indoor, and critical care treatment to all families whose annual family income is less than rupees five lakhs. The hospital offers free treatment to patients enrolled in government schemes of MA and MA Vatsalya, all of which are now offered under the umbrella of PMJAY. In addition to these, discretionary concessions are offered for needy patients who do not fall into any categories of systemic concessions. In sync with the vision of our Founder Chairman, and following the legacy of the dictum laid down by him guiding all our endeavors, the Hospital continues to not deny treatment to any patient who would not be able to pay for it.”

What started with a general hospital with 136 beds is now an institution that includes a medical college recognised by the Medical Council of India, a 720-bed hospital, an institute for post-graduate studies, a school of nursing, a college of physiotherapy, an institute of medical technology and a cardiac care and cancer center.

Source: Lepra Society

Help Age India 

Help Age is one of the leading charitable organizations in India which work for the well being of the elderly. It was established in 1978, and has been providing services for over 40 decades now. They provide free health services for the unfortunate elderly. 

Cataract surgeries are one of the cornerstones of this organization. HelpAge conducts more than 45,000 eye surgeries for the blind elderly across 21 states. They also provide intensive care to end-stage cancer patients. 

“HelpAge’s Mobile Healthcare program seeks to provide sustainable healthcare solutions to destitute elders and their community where these are none available through its Mobile Healthcare Units (MHUs). Each MHU has a doctor, pharmacist and a social worker.” 

These MHUs go into the interiors of urban slums and villages, bringing healthcare virtually at the doorsteps of these destitute elders. The organization has received several awards for his commendable contribution to society. 

LEPRA Society

LEPRA Society is a non-governmental organization that promotes quality health care.The Society aims to support the National Health Programmes in the prevention and control of diseases such as Leprosy, Lymphatic Filariasis and other neglected diseases. 

LEPRA Society has a systematic approach to dealing with chronic diseases. They also help the Indian government in the National Anti-Malaria Programme (NAMP) and have made extensive contributions to eye care and prevention of needless blindness.

“The cross-cutting themes of our programmes include system strengthening, combined approaches, empowerment, equity, advocacy, gender and water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH).” 

The organization has gained more than 25 years of experience in implementing its core leprosy programmes related to case detection, prevention of disabilities, disability care, rehabilitation, inclusion, awareness, advocacy, and community mobilization.

DoctorsForSeva Arogya Foundation (Aarogya Seva)

Aarogya Seva is an international, humanitarian volunteer organization dedicated to providing quality healthcare services to various segments of society through micro-volunteering. 

The NGO provides a platform for all sectors of the healthcare industry – including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, private practitioners, and healthcare service providers of all specialities – to serve patients in marginalized communities.

These services are then rendered to the public through various initiatives like “Doctors at schools”, “Doctors for Adolescents”, Women and Child Health drives and more. It is provided in necessary areas through healthcare professionals who volunteer with the organization. 

Source: Swasth Foundation

Swasth Foundation

Established in 2009 with the vision of ‘Health and Joy for All’, Swasth is on a mission to build a sustainable and accountable health ecosystem. The organization’s network of primary healthcare centers provides affordable services to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure by over 50% for those in need.

The centers are focused on enhancing the state of the physical, social, mental and emotional well-being of people. This is done through interventions like courses, classes, workshops and one-on-one interactions. The programmes are designed based on integrating various modalities of well-being like yoga, Ayurveda, nutrition, counseling, coaching, etc.

“Patients can get diagnosed and treated for acute and chronic illnesses with our high quality and free of cost primary healthcare services from our patient-centric team of professionals.”

The organization says that they have worked with over 1.5 million patients and helped them save over $3 million.  

Udaan Welfare Foundation 

Udaan Welfare Foundation works towards quality healthcare, keeping in mind a positive impact on the environment. It also works towards other causes that go hand-in-hand with healthcare, such as nutrition, taking sincere effort to achieve its ideals.

“With regular health-checkup camps we ensure that nobody is deprived of the basic health care necessities. Assurance of good-health is done by provision of proper nutrition which we are continuously doing by means of mid-day meal programmes, provision of food packets, grains and other commodities.”

Several programs have been organized. Udaan carried out a dental health check in the Harikishan English Public School and taught 250 students the importance of the correct brushing techniques and oral care. 

“We have also regularly provided medicines for Anugraha Children’s Home and Anugraha Vidya Mandir, Ambernath since 2008. Udaan also supplies monthly rations for daily breakfast for the 50 to 60 resident children there.”

Source: Deepalaya 

Deepalaya 

Deepalaya is a certified non - government organization that aims at fostering self-reliance and helping underprivileged children rise above their societal limitations. 

It runs the Community Health programme, a project working towards spreading awareness of preventive and promotive health. It reaches out to the poor and underprivileged through projects like the Chameli Dewan Memorial Rural Health & Mobile Clinic in Gusbethi. 

From immunization programs for children and provision of nutritious food, Deepalaya provides for supplementary nutrition, curative treatments, deforming, and family planning. Deepalaya has also run sanitation drives for clean toilets, hygienic homes, and potable water. In addition to this, we hold regular health education and awareness camps in the community regarding illnesses like cataract and diabetes.

“We have reached out to more than 2,70,000 children, given vocational training to 9,700 adults and helped form more than 1,000 Self Help Groups with 11,000 women who have together saved Rs.408 million with a community revolving fund of Rs.1053 million.” 

To conclude, NGOs in India which have played a major role in the healthcare sector of the country.