GKF’s Public Outreach Health Programs: Creating a Healthier Community in Jammu and Kashmir

The Gauri Kaul Foundation (GKF) has been spearheading a number of public outreach well being applications in Jammu and Kashmir. These initiatives have reworked the well being of the general public within the area by selling consciousness, prevention, and early intervention in well being points.

Weekly Newsletter for Senior Citizens:

GKF’s weekly publication for senior residents titled” Senior Citizens Lounge” has been a game-changer within the area.

The publication focuses on well being and social points that have an effect on seniors, together with dementia, arthritis, and loneliness.

The publication has helped seniors keep knowledgeable and linked with their group. It additionally gives helpful tips about easy methods to keep wholesome, together with train routines and wholesome consuming habits.

Heart Health Awareness Articles:

GKF’s coronary heart well being consciousness articles in main newspapers have had an incredible influence on the general public. The articles present necessary data on the chance elements related to coronary heart illness, comparable to hypertension, excessive ldl cholesterol, and smoking. They additionally present tips about easy methods to stop coronary heart illness, together with wholesome consuming habits and common train. The articles have additionally helped to dispel myths and misconceptions about coronary heart illness, comparable to the assumption that it solely impacts older folks.

Awareness Interviews and Programs about Overall Health:

GKF’s consciousness interviews and applications about total well being on TV and digital media have been an enormous success. These applications characteristic specialists discussing numerous well being points, together with diabetes, communicable and non-communicable illnesses, well being of aged, and psychological well being.

The applications present helpful data on prevention, early intervention, and remedy choices. They have additionally helped to cut back stigma round sure well being points, comparable to psychological well being.

Many folks have reported making optimistic adjustments to their life-style after watching these applications, comparable to adopting more healthy consuming habits and in search of remedy for well being points they have been beforehand reluctant to debate.

A Heart for Giving: The Financials of the GKF

The Gauri Kaul Foundation is a non-profit group that operates on the precept of offering inexpensive and accessible well being care to underprivileged people.

The GKF operates on a novel mannequin the place all of the revenue from Gauri Heart Centre and Prasad Joo Khan Heart Centre goes into the inspiration. Both centres are owned and operated by the inspiration. In addition to this, the inspiration receives donations from people who share the identical imaginative and prescient.

The basis’s bills primarily encompass upkeep of the 2 coronary heart centres, salaries of medical doctors and workers, and repairs and infrastructural improvement of the well being centres.

A major a part of the bills is incurred in offering free healthcare to the underprivileged and operating media outreach applications. These free services embody free consultations, free investigations, and free medicines. The basis additionally gives home-based care, well being consciousness and palliative care to sufferers, particularly for senior residents, and supply tele-health services to uncared for aged sufferers.

GKF provided complimentary healthcare companies to marginalised communities and spearheaded numerous public outreach initiatives, to the tune of Rs. 11,13,773 (greater than Rs 11 lacks) throughout 2022-2023.

Future Plans of GKF

To develop a complete screening program for coronary heart well being amongst IV drug customers by creating a screening program that targets younger IV drug customers who’re in danger for cardiac issues.

Increase consciousness and screening for frequent illnesses amongst rural populations:

Provide help for uncared for aged: The basis would set up applications to supply healthcare companies and help for uncared for aged people in Kashmir.

Support medical analysis in Kashmir: The basis’s GRC has began to work to determine partnerships with native universities and analysis establishments to help medical analysis in Kashmir.

Adopt uncared for senior residents for healthcare help: The basis goals to determine a program to establish and undertake uncared for senior residents who require healthcare help. This would wish collaboration with native healthcare suppliers and group organisations.

Extending attain in North Kashmir: The plans are on to determine one other centre to cater the folks of North Kashmir on the identical strains as in Srinagar and Pulwama.

Requisitioning for Government Land within the yr 2023-2024 for establishing an even bigger facility for cardiology together with for old-age illnesses.

Extending, the “No Heart Attack mission” past UT

Prof Upendra Kaul, Padmashiri and Dr B C Roy Award awardee, is the Founder Director, Gauri Kaul Foundation

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this article are the non-public opinions of the writer.

The details, evaluation, assumptions and perspective showing within the article don’t mirror the views of GK.