The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD in India, Reliance Foundation, Tata Trusts and USAID join hands to form first-of-its-kind Continuum of Care Health Alliance
Project ĀSMĀN, a major healthcare initiative aimed at reducing infant, neonatal and maternal mortality in India, was recently launched by a consortium of leading private and development sector partners. The initiative is an alliance between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD India (through its MSD for Mothers programme), Reliance Foundation, Tata Trusts and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Project ĀSMĀN will work towards facilitating the availability of quality healthcare under the five pillars of the Government of India’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Adolescent Health Program (RMNCH+A).
The initiative was jointly unveiled by Alkesh Wadhwani, Deputy Director, Integrated Delivery, India, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kenneth C Frazier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MSD, Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, RK Krishna Kumar, Trustee – Tata Trusts, and Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, Mission Director, USAID/India, at a special event in the presence of Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister for Women & Child Development, Government of India and Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. Senior government officials, medical professionals and representatives from the development sector also attended the event.
In line with the government’s agenda of reducing mortality rates, this first-of-a-kind alliance will support the introduction and implementation of high impact interventions at the health facility level.