XLRI hosts social entrepreneurship conclave to address rural healthcare challenges

The fifth Social Entrepreneurship Conclave hosted by Xavier School of Management (XLRI) Jamshedpur lent a platform for exchange of ideas, challenges and solutions on rural healthcare.

The theme of the conclave was Strengthening Rural Healthcare in Modern India.

The conclave, anchored by the Social Initiative Group for Managerial Assistance (SIGMA), XLRI, was organised under the aegis of Fr. Arrupe Center for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES), in association with Destiny Reflections.

Social changemakers, pioneers and young social entrepreneurs came together to take part in insightful discussions. The conference saw six speakers who have boldly ventured out of their comfort zones to bring tangible changes to society. They have made significant contributions in areas such as nutrition, COVID relief and rural healthcare and development.

The conclave was inaugurated by Anand Bang, joint director at Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH), a non-profit organisation of Maharashtra.

Bang spoke about the broad aspects of rural healthcare and the need for social entrepreneurs to “go where the problems are and work to resolve them”. He shared his story about the inception and growth of SEARCH and the impact it has created in the rural communities of Maharashtra. He also underlined the need to find a cost-effective solution for bridging the gap in rural healthcare programmes and their implementation.

The first panel included discussions on ‘Bridging the last mile in Rural Healthcare’ with Sujay Santra, founder and CEO of iKURE; Thulasiraj Ravilla , founding member and director of Aravind Eye Care System; and Radhika Batra, founder and president of Every Infant Matters.

The panel discussed how accessibility was a major problem when it came to rural healthcare and how technology, while being a powerful tool, is not enough. They discussed logistic issues and how it was a major challenge in the healthcare sector. The conversation extended into how healthcare providers need to have the mindset to provide accessibility to the rural communities. The panelists agreed that true transformation could only be brought about by the young educated generation who can do a lot for their hometowns and villages. It is a continuous process which will take time, but the persistence will pay off.

The second panel discussed ‘Challenges in Achieving a Nutrition Secure India’. The speakers were Indu Capoor, founder-director of Chetna; Aparna Hegde founder of ARMMAN; and Jaydeep Mandal, founder of Aakar Innovations.

Hegde discussed the importance of leveraging technology along with infrastructure and healthcare personnel in strengthening the nutrition profile of our nation. She also enlightened the audience about mMitra, free voice-call service that has provided preventive care information to around 2.6 million women so far.

Capoor said nutrition is not limited to food intake but extends to nurturing. She emphasised the significance of spreading awareness along with empowering communities to tackle the problem of undernutrition. Finally, she believes that nutrition as a concept is complicated which requires the government departments and private players to converge across various levels to improve the nutrition indicators.

Mandal focused on the challenges and how to identify them. Often, people are misled by religious and cultural beliefs that act as a hindrance from approaching a conscious healthcare mindset. He specifically focused on the plight of rural women and the lack of menstrual hygiene awareness. He highlighted the various programmes his organisation has been spearheading to create menstrual awareness.

The idea behind the conclave was to provide direction and hope to budding entrepreneurs and instil in them the belief that no matter how distant and insurmountable their goal might seem, there have been individuals that found a way to realise their ambitions which have brought significant changes in the lives of others.