Tata Steel: The ‘Healing Touch’ of Sparsh Touches 8000 Lives

Tata Steel Rural Development Society and Lepra Society initiative cures and empowers lives for Leprosy sufferers

JAMSHEDPUR: Tata Steel is committed towards providing health care services in its area of operations. In line with this, SPARSH (“the healing touch”), a joint initiative of Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) and LEPRA Society, today announced having treated close to 8000 leprosy patients. The referral Centre was established to provide specialized health care services, thereby improving the quality of life of people and empowering them to be self-dependent.

From its inception, Tata Steel’s existence has grown to be based on the vision that in a free enterprise, the community is not just another stakeholder in business but is, in fact, the very purpose of its existence. It is this vision of  Tata Steel that manifests itself to focus on providing health services and improving the quality of lives of the people.

SPARSH Project is aimed at providing dedicated services to the patients suffering from Leprosy, which is also regarded as a social stigma. In the current project period a total of 7993 cases catered at the OPD unit for counselling and treatment, out of which 3034 were female cases. 37 patients were referred to higher institutions for Reconstructive Surgery out of which 21 were such where RCS was conducted.

Speaking on the specialized services of Sparsh which has provided the humane touch to thousands of lives,  Biren R Bhuta, Chief, CSR, Tata Steel Limited said, “SPARSH as an organisation is focused on improving the lives of people who suffer from Leprosy, which bears a social stigma even today. Under this initiative, we are organizing several awareness programs for early case detection, regular treatment and to avoid discrimination in the community for the patients. The collaborative efforts of District Leprosy team, Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) and LEPRA society have helped in reaching out to thousands and we are confident of reaching out to a larger society and empower the leprosy patients to lead a self-sustained life.”

SPARSH has been instrumental in treatment of the leprosy patients at large. Apart from the advance treatment facilities SPARSH has distributed 1837 pairs of protective footwear, 9226 pairs Grade I footwear which has reached out to states like Assam, Uttrakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. These unique multi-cellulose rubber footwear are not easily available across the country and many states in India take help from the SPARSH initiative in procuring these specialized footwear. Apart from the treatment provided, SPARSH also empowers the patients to be self-efficient by engaging them in activities like painting, handkerchief- and doormat-making. Some of the facilities offered by SPARSH are:

· Out Patient Department (OPD) Services
· Laboratory test services
· Physiotherapy and Complications management
· Footwear and Orthodesis Unit
· Capacity Building Services
· Patient Counselling Services
· Community Outreach

Established in 1907 as Asia’s first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of nearly 30 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world’s second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries.

The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 24.81 billion in FY 14, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency.

In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.