15th, July 2024: As a part of Health Care initiatives of Honda India Foundation, a "Health Mela" was recently organised in collaboration with Helpage India. It was a significant leap in Honda India Foundation's dedication to societal assistance by empowering the populace. This social impact endeavour was organised in the Burera Village of Tapukara, Rajasthan.
The "Health Mela" witnessed the esteemed presence of Shri Vinay Dhingra (Trustee, Honda India Foundation), Shri Katsuyuki Ozawa (Trustee, Honda India Foundation), Shri Satyaprakash Patil (Operating Officer, Honda India Foundation), Shri Pankaj Tandon (Plant Head, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, Tapukara), Shri Naveen Sharma (GA Head, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, Tapukara, Shri Udmi Singh (Village Sarpanch, Burera) and Shri Hemant Kumar Dagar- (Reproductive & Child Health Officer- Khairthal, Tijara) .
The event was an amalgamation of core activities including women's health awareness session, Health Camps, Nukkad Natak, Blood Donation Drives, Basic Medical Screening and Yoga and road safety awareness session for students.
The state of healthcare in Burera village like many rural areas in India faces significant challenges and disparities. One of the primary concerns is the lack of healthcare facilities within proximity to the village. Burera faces absence of primary health care centres forcing residents to travel long distances to access medical services. To address these obstacles, Honda India Foundation (HIF) took the inaugural move. HIF, keeping basic health care as a priority has already been running Mobile Medical Units (MMU's) in Manesar and has also established a Health Centre at Naurangpur that provides basic OPD services. Taking a step forward in this aspect to ensure doorstep delivery of basic facilities and amenities, it organised the Health Mela that brought essential medical services and information directly to the community, thus making healthcare more accessible to villagers who faced barriers in accessing traditional healthcare settings.
The Health Mela saw active involvement from over 650 plus beneficiaries throughout the various events of the day. Many villagers were given fundamental medical assistance such as blood-pressure checks, cholesterol tests and Glucose Monitoring and were made aware about various communicable and non-communicable diseases, their early detection and prevention. The blood donation camp witnessed a remarkable turnout of generous donors, emphasizing the importance of community solidarity and compassion.
The Mela also emphasised the importance of Yoga in maintaining physical and mental wellbeing and focussed on the critical aspect of road safety through a road safety awareness session to students.
The Health Mela aligns with Honda's fundamental principles and harmonises its long-term mission of becoming a 'Company that Society wants to Exist'.