Americares India: Improving Health in Mumbai’s Slums

Every two weeks, hope arrives on wheels in 130 of Mumbai’s slum communities when Americares Mobile Health Centers deliver quality health care curbside, close to homes and businesses. Regular, comprehensive care is essential anywhere, but especially in Mumbai’s slums, home to half the city’s residents and where chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease account for as much as 64 percent of deaths.

Americares Urban Health Strategy is seeking to change that grim statistic by helping people access quality health services. Americares Mobile Health Centers have been serving Mumbai’s slum communities since 2011. With support from the Rural India Supporting Trust, Americares launched its Urban Health Strategy in 2020.

Here’s what the Urban Health Strategy has accomplished in just four years:

• Conducted over 650,000 patient consultations.
• Tested more than 3,000 patients for diabetes and hypertension.
• Prescribed 16,500 diabetes treatments.
• Provided 30,000 patient referrals.
• Facilitated 1,685 education sessions on mental health, reaching over 22,000 participants.
• Provided more than 11,000 educational sessions focused on chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.
• Trained 122 health care providers in managing diabetes and hypertension.
• Provided comprehensive education on health, hygiene and nutrition to over 18,000 students in 93 urban schools.

Now, 73 percent of community members surveyed recognize critical signs, symptoms and preventive measures for chronic diseases, a significant increase from just 13 percent at the program’s start four years ago. The Mobile Health Center appointments in each community continue like clockwork, improving health with every visit.