• Aster Volunteers, the CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare has launched Mission Barmer 2022, in collaboration with Ruma Devi Foundation and Human Welfare Foundation, to provide community medical services in Barmer village, Rajasthan, India
  • Medical experts specialized in paediatric and gynecology interventions to screen women and children.

Dubai: Aster DM Foundation has launched Aster Volunteers Mobile Medical Clinic, the first initiative under Mission Barmer 2022. This project has been undertaken in collaboration with Ruma Devi Foundation and Human Welfare Foundation, in the village of Barmer, in Rajasthan, India. Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare had taken up this project to partner with India’s well-known rural activist Ms. Ruma Devi, a Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 awardee. Announced on the occasion of International Women’s Day in March 2022, the collaboration sought to improve access to primary healthcare services for the rural population. Aster Volunteers Mobile Medical Clinic is the first step to bringing the partnership to life.

Aster Volunteers, in its effort to help people in the remote and rural areas of North India started with the launch of 3 mobile medical units in Kaithal (Haryana), Railmagra & Barmer (Rajasthan) and a 6-day free medical screening camp for the women and children from the tribal region of Barmer and neighbouring villages in Rajasthan. Through the 6-day programme, the units have impacted more than 1500 lives and educated them on personal hygiene, common health issues and sanitization.

As part of Mission Barmer 2022, a team of volunteer doctors - Obstetrics & Gynecology specialists from Aster Hospitals Clinics and Pharmacies, Dubai; Senior Paediatric Consultants from Aster CMI Bengaluru; Paediatric Cardiac Surgeons from Aster Medcity, Kochi and a team of Aster Volunteers have been camping in Barmer along with local Volunteers. They have been screening women and children in Barmer district since the 23rd of July. The ongoing mission will also introduce several skill development initiatives that will continue for the rest of the year.

Ruma Devi, recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for women in India, Founder of Ruma Devi Foundation and a resident of Barmer, inaugurated Mission Barmer 2022. Alongside the launch of Mission Barmer 2022, a rural health initiative, Aster Volunteers also unveiled 3 mobile medical units for the benefit of the rural populace in Kaithal and Railmagra with support from Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Foundation and Roots Foundation.

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Mission Barmer 2022 was conceived to meet the need identified in the marginalized section of the rural women. The goal is to spread awareness among rural women in their familiar environment where they feel secure to participate. We hope this initiative will help to increase healthcare awareness among the rural womenfolk which will in turn impact the women most. Women’s education and empowerment is recognized to be the single most important tool for health and well-being of the family, especially children.”

Talking about the initiative, Ms. Alisha Moopen – Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Aster DM Healthcare is very happy to have initiated a long-term collaboration with the prestigious Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan founded by the well-known activist and social worker, Ms Ruma Devi. Rural women experience poorer health outcomes and have less access to health care than urban women, due to social constraints. Many rural areas have limited numbers of health care providers, especially women’s health providers. Hence, medical camps such as these are expected to play a vital role in establishing a positive framework for rural women to take the initiative in attending to the healthcare requirements of their families and most importantly, of themselves. This project will be aligned with several other women empowerment initiatives that Aster proposes to launch.”

Ms. Ruma Devi added, “I would like to place on record my extreme appreciation of this initiative launched by Aster DM Healthcare and Aster Volunteers. We are very happy and fortunate that Aster has taken up this mission focused on the empowerment of rural women and contribute its resources to promote the welfare of this neglected segment of the population.”

Mission Barmer 2022 is an ongoing engagement, which shall benefit a larger group of people at the grassroot level with free medical intervention in the rural areas of Rajasthan. Aster DM Foundation plans to depute more medical volunteers through its flagship volunteering initiative ‘Aster Volunteers’, a network of 45,000 plus volunteers registered on a credible health platform in India and in GCC.

During the medical camp, any kid who will need further investigation or require any special surgery shall be directed to Aster Medcity Kochi under the aegis of Aster DM Foundation. After the mega medical camp, on-ground partners such as Human Welfare Foundation and Ruma Devi Foundation shall continue to contribute to Mission Barmer 2022 with Clinical and Skill missions in partnership with Aster Volunteers.

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About Aster Volunteers, the global CSR programme of Aster DM Healthcare

Aster Volunteers programme, the global corporate social responsibility initiative of Aster DM Healthcare, was launched on occasion of the company's 30th anniversary in 2017 and provides a platform which bridges the gap between people who would like to help with those in need. Driven by Aster DM Foundation, through various initiatives, the programme has been able to impact 3.8 million+ lives across geographies. Aster Volunteers have been able to treat 599,170+ individuals through mobile medical camps; 192,115 people have benefitted from Basic Life Support (BLS) awareness trainings and 47,181 free surgeries as well as clinical investigations were conducted; supported with the recruitment of 132 differently abled people of determination and treated 633,868 people through medical camps. Aster Volunteers have also been at the forefront of the battle against COVID – 19 and has impacted 2 million+ lives through various social activities.

For more information about us, please contact:

Lavanya Mandal                                                                                                   
Head of PR and Internal Communications                                          
Aster DM Healthcare
Email: lavanya.mandal@asterdmhealthcare.com

Rasheed Palliyalil
Watermelon Communications
Email: rasheed@watermelonme.com

DISCLAIMER:

Certain statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties like government actions, local, political or economic developments, technological risks, and many other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. Aster DM Healthcare will not be in any way responsible for any action taken based on such statements and undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.