Ensure food security in public hospitals through Hospital Feeding Programme

A recent publication reveals that according to NITI Aayog SDG Index, Maharashtra is one among the top 10 states making progress in SDG 3 - Good Health & Wellbeing. While this is worth appreciating, let’s take a closer look at the healthcare facility in Maharashtra’s capital city, Mumbai, and the neglected hunger situation that exists in public hospitals.

Mumbai is one of the most populous cities with majority of its population belonging to the low-income bracket. This section in Mumbai completely depends on the public healthcare system when faced with any health issue. Annually, more than 15 million out-patients are treated in the city’s public healthcare facilities and each of the public hospitals can accommodate around 12,000 in-patients. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has a wide network of more than 390 healthcare facilities including medical college hospitals, municipal general hospitals, specialty hospitals, maternity homes, municipal dispensaries, and 183 health units. Yet, there is a lack, and inaccessibility to healthcare facilities leave the marginalised and underprivileged helpless.

Hunger adds on to the lack

In the above section, we mentioned ‘15 million’, yes, this group of people hail from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. Most of them are either daily wage workers or have very low income. For them, health is an asset because if they fall ill, they also lose their income. Though the cost of treatment in public hospitals in Mumbai is much lesser than private hospitals, yet they struggle to meet the cost; and more often than not, cut on food cost by staying hungry. Well, if not all, at least more than half of the total patients and their family members in public hospitals submit to hunger, every day!

Hospital Feeding Programme – A Much-Needed Intervention

Akshaya Chaitanya, an NGO in Mumbai is paying heed to the hunger crisis in public hospitals. Akshaya Chaitanya understands the financial background of patients visiting public hospitals and how hospitalisation is a huge burden for them. So, in an attempt to intervene and provide food security to this section of people, Akshaya Chaitanya began hospital feeding in Mumbai, a programme through which the NGO provides free and nutritious food to out-patients and family members of in-patients in the city’s public hospitals.

By giving food for free, Akshaya Chaitanya strives to take off the burden of food cost and help the underprivileged to save money for treatment. The NGO began this service in July 2021 in partnership with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Government of Maharashtra. So far, Akshaya Chaitanya has already impacted thousands of lives by serving a cumulative of more than 95,000 meals in St. George Hospital, Cama & Albless Hospital, Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital, and BYL Nair Hospital.

Every day, this NGO in Mumbai serves freshly cooked, nutritious lunch in each of the mentioned hospitals. It prepares this meal at its state-of-the-art, FSSAI certified kitchen in Byculla. It takes care of end-to-end operations of the Hospital Feeding Programme - right from procurement of raw materials to food preparation, packing, delivering, and serving at hospitals. To ensure the beneficiaries receive complete nutrition, it follows a locally palatable cyclic menu.

Support Akshaya Chaitanya

Akshaya Chaitanya aims to expand its Hospital Feeding Programme to more public hospitals in Mumbai. Your support is of utmost significance in this endeavour. There are four ways to get involved and help this NGO to continue giving food for free to the needy:

• Donate food to poor with a minimum contribution of?500. This can feed 10 needy for a day.
• Start a fundraising campaign in support of Akshaya Chaitanya and leverage your network to make a bigger impact.
• Adopt a hospital and contribute funds to support feeding in your chosen hospital.
• Become a corporate partner and support the NGO’s service as a part of your CSR project.

No matter how you choose to help, it will directly make a difference in the lives of the poor in public hospitals in Mumbai who are battling hunger and struggling to meet treatment cost. Support generously!

Note: All monetary contributions of?500 and above towards Akshaya Chaitanya’s Hospital Feeding Programme are eligible for 80G deduction as per tax exemption policy.

References:

• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/only-6-states-in-india-have-45-hcws-per-10-000-population-says-niti-sdg-index-77291
• https://www.indiaspend.com/mumbai-has-indias-best-healthcare-it-isnt-enough-69529
• a href="https://portal.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/MCGM%20Department%20List/Public%20Health%20Department/RTI%20Manuals/Health%20Info%20Eng.pdf">https://portal.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/MCGM%20Department%20List/Public%20Health%20Department/RTI%20Manuals/Health%20Info%20Eng.pdf

• a href="https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/09/03/mumbai-health-campaign-launched-to-demand-better-healthcare-facilities-in-the-city.html">https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/09/03/mumbai-health-campaign-launched-to-demand-better-healthcare-facilities-in-the-city.html