New Partnerships

German Leprosy Relief Association www.glraindia.org
GLRA’s vision is a world in which no one suffers from Leprosy, Tuberculosis and poverty- related diseases and the consequences they bring, such as physical disability and social exclusion. Their services are now extended to differently abled in many states of India especially to those that live in remote areas, politically unstable locations and among the marginalized communities.

Studies have found that despite continuous efforts by medical, paramedical, government and NGO organizations to prevent and eradicate leprosy from India, a sizable number of cases continue to be detected every year over the last 8 to 10 years following integration of disease. People with disabilities have cited negative attitudes and behaviours of health care providers as the most formidable barriers to accessing health care services. Although these attitudes and misconceptions are usually not overtly hostile, they may result in patients with disabilities not receiving appropriate treatment or not receiving indicated prevention. This forms the background for Samarth’s partnership with GLRA. Together, the organizations aim to develop a validated questionnaire to measure attitudes of Health Care Provider (HCPs) towards Persons Affected with Leprosy. Such a validated questionnaire will provide critical information on how health care providers perceive leprosy patients thereby enabling appropriate interventions aimed at changing negative attitudes.

INCLEN www.inclentrust.org
INCLEN is engaged in health research capacity building and undertaking large multi-site and multi-country studies of national and international health policy and program relevance. Through its global, regional and disease- specific research network, INCLEN has maximized its capacity and experience to launch effective, efficient and equitable collaborative research programs.

Pneumonia is among the leading causes of child mortality and morbidity in children aged 0-5 years in India. Pneumonia contributes to 15% of infant deaths, therefore, controlling childhood pneumonia will be critical to enabling India achieve its child health related goals. Given this context, Samarth and INCLEN aim to engage in a collaborative study to understand care seeking behaviour of the community regarding childhood pneumonia. It will also explore issues which enhance/impede access to care, specific to regional and socio economic contexts in 3 states in India, namely Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Central Council for Research in Siddha www.siddhacouncil.com
Siddha is a science of holistic health emphasising both drug and diet for human health care. The Council has the vision of preservation and transmission of knowledge and enhancement of the quality of research for developing drugs with quality, safety and efficacy through well-established preclinical and clinical research facilities to prevent, manage and cure diseases of varied aetiology.

While there are several Indian medicine preparations available in the market that have been used for the treatment of anaemia, the major concerns are that there have not been any proper epidemiological studies to substantiate their efficacy in treatment of anaemia. A Siddha preparation known as Kadukkai Mathirai (KM) contains Annapethi Chenthuram as one of its constituents in addition to Kaddukkai which is recommended for the treatment of anaemia. The aim of the collaboration between Samarth and CCRS is to test the effectiveness of KM in improving Hb levels in urban school going adolescent girls in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation www.bms.com
Since 2007, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s Delivering Hope initiative has supported community-based efforts to rid India of viral hepatitis infections through activities such as education and awareness programs among various sections of the community, encouraging testing and vaccination, subsidizing vaccinations and continuing to build capacity for health care providers.

Samarth will provide training to six partner organizations carrying out these activities, to better self-monitor their programs. The training will increase the organizations’ knowledge and capacity to conduct research, thereby enhancing their ability to improve their existing programs and to plan more effective programs in the future. Samarth will also evaluate partner programmes to assess them for relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

HOPE Initiative www.hope.org.in
Hope, Lucknow has a multi-pronged approach to Hepatitis C, creating awareness amongst school students, the general community, and health care providers. The organization also works with those infected with Hepatitis C, developing a patient network to provide psychological, social and financial support to patients where possible.

Liver Foundation of West Bengal www.liverfoundation.in
Liver Foundation West Bengal aims to enhance the quality of life and reduce the burden of liver disease in India through prevention, education, advocacy, improved care and promotion of concepts in public health. The organization works with rural health care providers, schools, patients infected with Hepatitis B and C, and have also set up a state-of-the-art laboratory to provide low cost screening and diagnostic facilities for liver related diseases.

United Way Of Mumbai www.unitedwaymumbai.org
The organization’s mission is to spearhead & create definitive, long term and large scale sustainable change in key action areas of children & education, women's empowerment, civic issues & capacity building of Non Profits; to impact the social fabric of the country by building synergies between the Corporate and the Development sector of India. United Way of Mumbai is working to reduce the risk of infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B among different sections of underprivileged populations living in F-North municipal ward of Mumbai city through focussed medical interventions and extensive community education.

AmeriCares India www.americaresindia.org
AmeriCares India Foundation is leading a demonstration project at Jagjivan Ram Railway Hospital in Mumbai Central, aimed at preventing the spread of Hepatitis and other viruses through the development of health worker safety and risk minimization. The program works towards its objective by focusing on staff immunization; the availability and proper utility of personal protective equipment and safety-oriented supplies; the reduction of needle-stick injuries; maximizing full course of post-exposure prophylaxis; raising awareness through educational materials and a regular lecture series; and standardizing effective training modules for proper health worker safety promotion.

All India Institute of Diabetes and Research www.swasthyaindia.com
Experts in the field of diabetes care and research, AIIDR aims to expand their expertise to the area of hepatitis. Under this programme, they seek to improve access to diagnostic and preventive services for Hepatitis B in rural areas of Gujarat, specifically in the districts of Sabarkantha and Mehsana. Their focus populations will include pregnant mothers, health professionals, general community, and high risk groups.

MAMTA www.mamta-himc.org
In order to address the issues of Hepatitis B and C, MAMTA initiated "Prevention and Early Management of Viral Hepatitis (B & C) intervention in states of Manipur and Chandigarh in India. This intervention aims to reduce transmission of viral hepatitis B and/or C and improve care of the patients through prevention and early management of the disease based on the focused intervention strategies. MAMTA has also designed a signature model for testing in North-Eastern states under same initiative.