PUNE: Disadvantaged senior residents around Talawade, near Pune, India, now have access to free medical advice, medicine and counseling, thanks to a new Mobile Health Unit (MHU) funded and supported by Fujitsu Consulting India. The MHU was launched on Monday, July 12, 2021.
Fujitsu has 4,500 employees and backs numerous programs to support the local community. This is in support of the Fujitsu Purpose, which is “to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation.”
Projects in India include – Giving gainful employment opportunities to the unemployed youth by providing geriatric training to help and take care of elderly in homes as well as hospitals, helped orphanages financially, backed government schools with meals and educational supplies, helped create libraries in some orhanages, distributed tablets to students during the pandemic to enable them to connect to education online, helped multiple communities during the pandemic by distributing food supplies and essentials to them, etc.
In working with HelpAge India1, Fujitsu has committed 10.96 million Indian Rupees over three years, enabling an MHU to visit up to 15 villages every week around Talawade. This will open up access to vital medical services and advice for up to 25,000 older people every year.
“Staffed by a doctor, pharmacist, a community activist and – once Covid-19 restrictions permit – Fujitsu volunteers, the MHU provides a wide range of critical medical services for the community. These include free consultation and treatment for the elderly, free medicines for common ailments, Covid-19 awareness creation and prevention counseling”, explains Shailesh Jain, Head of Business Support Services, Administration, Fujitsu Consulting India.
In addition, the MHU offers referrals for further treatment, awareness and diagnostics of common illnesses and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Furthermore, the MHU offers counseling, health and nutrition awareness, preventive healthcare, and home visits for bedridden elderly patients.
Fujitsu has requested the inclusion of at least one female team member in the MHU to make it more approachable for women in the villages to discuss their health concerns and help create gender diversity in job opportunities.
- Employees at Fujitsu are encouraged to engage with social issues identified by the United Nations as part of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Fujitsu is funding the Talawade MHU to help address UN SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. We see the timing right now as particularly important, as the elderly are the most vulnerable to Covid-19 infection and need proper protective measures to protect them from getting infected”, explains Manoj Nair, Head, Fujitsu Consulting India.
As part of HelpAge India’s national program, the Talawade MHU joins a network of 160 similar units covering 170 districts across 24 Indian states. The federal program addresses the challenges of unaffordability, inaccessibility and non-availability of essential primary healthcare services. It facilitates the process of active aging among elders in need in the community.
MHUs refer patients to local secondary and tertiary healthcare providers for higher-order treatments, create community awareness of elder rights and entitlements, and make linkages with government schemes and programs for the elderly.
1 HelpAge India is a leading charity in India and has been working with and for disadvantaged elderly since 1978. There are an estimated 106 million elderly in India. HelpAge advocates elder-friendly policies and their implementation. Its Mobile Healthcare Units span the country providing free healthcare services to impoverished elders. HelpAge India conducts cataract surgeries to restore sight, looks after the elderly’s basic needs through its Support-a-Gran program, runs Elder Helplines across the country, provides relief and rehabilitation for elders post disasters and provides active-aging opportunities. It provides 2 million treatments every year, touching the lives of 1.25 million disadvantaged elderly.
