NEW DELHI: DB Schenker is making the health of truck drivers in India a priority: The company is supporting an initiative to eliminate the prevalence of Tuberculosis among truck drivers and their associated communities.
The trucking industry represents about 4-5% of the GDP and thus is a crucial economic factor quite literally driving the Indian logistics sector.
DB Schenker, a leading provider of integrated logistics services in India, is joining in a unique cooperation with Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH, a non-profit organization of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG.
By supporting the cause, DB Schenker addresses the health issues of truck drivers and aims to educate them about potential risk factors such as the improper handling of food, unhygienic conditions and insufficient sleep to diminish the spread of Tuberculosis.
To carry out the initiative, DB Schenker India employees will engage in various onsite and offsite voluntary activities, including site visits, overviewing the empanelment of the staff and monitoring the progress.
As the treatment regimen of a Tuberculosis patient comprises a minimum of 6 months followed by one year of follow-ups, the project will be implemented for a minimum period of 1.5 to 2 years.
Means of diagnosis, treatment as well as follow-ups will be provided, as well as check-ups for eye-sight and the general health of professional truckers and their families. The services will be made available to sites near Transport Nagar in Jaipur, Agra and Lucknow, considering a high population density of the target audience in these areas. The goal is not only to create awareness for but also reduce stigma associated with the infectious disease.
The initiative is designed by and will be implemented with the help of the project partner GLRA India, the Indian branch of the German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Association, a member of alliance Buendnis Entwicklung Hilft. GLRA India will be equipping the site offices, training staff, developing training materials, taking care of the counseling treatment of drivers and ensuring timely diagnosis.
Dr Niklas Wilmking, Head of Global Air Freight and part of DB Group, while visiting India said, “It’s an important step for the organization towards managing this project in India with meticulous preparation along with daily monitoring of the project. This is yet another step towards expanding our CSR projects in India.”
“With India being one of the priority markets for DB Schenker Group, a project like this is our pleasure and duty to support a very important stakeholder (Truck driver) in our ecosystem. Through various digital transformation and new initiatives, we aim to serve our customers better by empowering the people”, said Vishal Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, Cluster India and Indian Sub Continent, Schenker India Private Limited.
