PCF organizes health camp in Village Dinanathpur

Health is a privilege denied to many. While in theory, there shouldn’t be any demographic or racial divide in access to basic amenities and social services to the citizens of a nation, things play out very differently in India.

The rural-urban divide in the country continues to pit a huge disparity between the general health and wellbeing of the populace. While on one hand, modern amenities and medical facilities are increasingly improved for city dwellers, access to even basic healthcare and diagnostics is difficult for the rural public. And, as most of India –or most of its poor—live in the villages, dearth of qualified medical functionaries and basic healthcare infrastructure continues to be the biggest challenge that thwarts growth of the nation.

Identifying this national concern, the Ponty Chadha Foundation has set about making a change at the grassroots level. In a series of healthcare initiatives taken up by them to increase the outreach of medical facilities to the underserved, a health camp was organized at Village Dinanathpur in collaboration with the Indo German Hospital, on November 19^th. Starting off at 1000 hrs. morning, the camp saw a huge crowd turn up with as many as 121 patients from 300 families undergo examination until 1pm.

The Foundation had its experienced volunteers working together to avoid any pandemonium. The huge playground of the village government school was let out to provide ample room for the patients to be comfortably seated while they awaited their turn. Separate registration, check-up and medicine distribution counters were setup to further systemize the operation. A patient would have to first obtain a token number and get their name and age registered on the OPD card; then, they would wait for getting examined, following which medicaments from the dedicated counter could be collected.  

The doctors at the camp did a thorough check-up after which a few cases were referred to the Indo German hospital for further diagnostics and treatment. They also spread awareness about safe sanitation practices and its importance in general well-being.

The doctors said that most complaints pertained to respiratory problems and joint pain which could have been well-addressed with timely treatment. This message was passed on to the villagers and was evidently was well received.

Ponty Chadha Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Wave Group and works towards social welfare through special childcare and food supply.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation Takes On Poverty at the Grassroots

Hunger is a massive problem in most developing nations and India, in particular, is one of the worst affected nations globally in terms of food distribution and poverty. Although a governmental welfare system of rationing food supplies is in place which caters to low income families, as for most of those living below the poverty line, this system is not adequate. Various studies have reported India as just slightly higher than the poorest of the poor nations in the world. The World Bank states that as many as one in three undernourished and poverty stricken people of the world reside in India. 

The problem lies with the fact that many of the welfare programs and food distribution drives are unable to reach out to majority of people in need, with bribery and corruption failing even the most well-intentioned efforts. This is largely why India ranks 68th out of 79 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) and starvation rate actually increasing from 22.9% in 1996 to 23.7% in 2011. 

The news is not all bad though. The Poverty Development Goal Report has said that almost 320 million people in India are on their way to being lifted out of poverty by 2015 and that out of all the South Asian countries, India is the only one that is on the right path to halving the poverty rate by the target of 2015. 

Helping to meet this demanding target is the Ponty Chadha Foundation, established in the memory of Mr. Gurdeep Singh (Ponty) Chadha; which established the Ghaziabad-Noida Food Bank in collaboration with the reputed India FoodBanking Network (IFBN). By putting in place concrete steps to ensure welfare of poor people through free food programs, the foundation aims to enhance the lives of those below the poverty line in villages around Ghaziabad and Noida, and helping out people in the vicinity of its Wave City projects near NH-24, Ghaziabad.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation: Need to Tackle Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a burning issue and accounts for nearly 50% of infant mortality in India alone. Every third adult aged between 15 and 49 years is reported to be malnourished. According to the latest report on the state of food insecurity in rural India, more than 1.5 million children are threatened by malnutrition because of the rise in global food prices.

India ranks 65th out of 79 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) that document nations worst affected by hunger. It also states that India’s starvation rate has increased from 22.9% to 23.7% over the past decade. This indicates that development drives have failed to reach out to those who need them the most. Thus, the importance of tackling poverty is crucial rather than simply reducing the number of welfare recipients.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation is tackling the complex issue of hunger through various community services. These include organizing food distribution drives in rural areas around Ghaziabad and Noida, with the most recent one organized at the Genesis Global School, Noida on October 12, 2013.

The Ponty Chadha Foundation, established in the memory of Mr. Gurdeep Singh (Ponty) Chadha, works towards combating hunger and malnutrition. The Foundation has collaborated with the reputed India Food Banking Network (IFBN), organizing free food distribution drives to eradicate malnutrition in rural areas around Noida and Ghaziabad. It is committed to working towards the betterment of society and dedicated to feed the poor. The foundation aspires to gather and utilize resources towards the upliftment of the underprivileged and spread its scope of work nationwide.