Vedanta Aluminium’s Healthcare Initiatives Benefit around 4 Lakh People in Odisha & Chhattisgarh

On World Health Day, the company reiterated its commitment to providing high-quality health servicesto underserved communities

By Subrat Sarangi

New Delhi April 10 : On the occasion ofWorld Health Day,Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has announced benefitting around4 lakh people in Odisha & Chhattisgarh through its community health interventions in FY24. The company has been serving its communities through high-quality health services,encouraging the adoption of preventive healthcare and providing quality curative health services to the local populace.Well-aligned with the theme of this year, “My health,my right”,the company is empowering people to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, in underserved, remote regions.

The company undertook several initiatives across its operations: in Jharsuguda, Odisha, home to the company’s mega aluminium plant; at its operations in Lanjigarh, home to its world-class alumina refinery; at BALCO, India’s iconic aluminium producer and a unit of Vedanta Aluminium located in Korba, Chhattisgarh; and at Vizag General Cargo Berth (VGCB) port operations. In Jharsuguda, the company organised mega drives through mobile healthcare vehicles and the distribution of informative leaflets in nearly 30 villages to sensitize the community toadopt healthier lifestyles. Additionally, a pilot breast cancer screening camp was also conducted at the Vedanta Aluminium supported Jharsuguda Diagnostic Centre, one of the largest multi-facility diagnostic centres in Odisha.

In Lanjigarh, a multi-speciality mega health camp benefitted the community by offering free healthcare services, including medical consultations, screening tests, medications, and vaccinations, reaching out to more than 500 people. Furthermore, a week-long awareness drive on health and hygiene practices was conducted across 20 villages, benefiting approximately 1,000 residents along with a blood donation camp.

In Korba, Chhattisgarh, the company kicked off an assistive device distribution drive towards creating a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable community, by distributing walking sticks, tripods, crutches, walkers & wheelchairs to elderly &specially-abledpersons. Moreover, it organized 2 multi-speciality mega health camps in Bhadrapara&Belakachar benefitting around 500 community members with specialty healthcare services fromdentists,dermatologists, orthopedics, gynecologists, physiotherapists, and general physicians, along with diagnostic tests for diabetes, blood pressure.

At its port operations VGCB, a two-day eye check-up camp was conducted, where around 400 people underwent comprehensive eye examinations to identify vision impairment and other ocular conditions. Subsequently, free spectacles were distributed to address vision impairment in the patients. Moreover, the unit also provided essential support topeople with special needs from marginalised communities, through battery-operated wheelchairs, tricycles, wheelchair riders, commode wheelchairs, and tripod walk sticks, with an aim to enhance mobility and independence for them.

Vedanta Aluminium extends a comprehensive array of basic and specialized healthcare services to underserved communities in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, encompassing areas within and surrounding its operational sites. These initiatives complement existing healthcare infrastructure in the region and encompass:

·    Mobile Health Units: The communities in Vedanta Aluminium’s operational vicinity often live in areas that are hard to reach, or far off from government healthcare facilities. To cater to them, Vedanta Aluminium operates Mobile Health Units that provide doorstep primary healthcare services to these communities every week of the year, as per a pre-determined schedule.Additionally, it operates round-the-clock ambulance services for seamless referrals.

·   Vedanta Hospital, Lanjigarh: Vedanta Limited Lanjigarh built a first-of-its-kind 20- bedded Multi- Speciality Hospital at Lanjigarh, Kalahandi in 2010. It is outfitted with a proficient team of doctors, physiotherapists, and visiting specialists. It provides preventive & curative healthcare facilities free of cost to the neighbouring community of Kalahandi &Rayagada district, with an emphasis on serving the underprivileged.

·   Nand Ghars: Through its Nand Ghars, which are ultra-modern anganwadis that act as centres of women & child development, Vedanta Aluminium provides quality healthcare and proper nutrition to small children, pregnant women and new mothers.

·  Vedanta Diagnostic Centres:Two cutting-edge diagnostic centres in Jharsuguda and Laikera provide a comprehensive range of Radiology and Pathology services, including MRI and CT scanning facilities, contributing to improved healthcare delivery and diagnosis in the region. The Diagnostic Centres offer services at nominal charges, aligned with the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates.

·  Project Arogya: The project is a comprehensive health initiative across operationsthat provides high-quality primary healthcare services, encompassing both preventive and curative measures through rural health posts. It places special emphasis on maternal and child health, with a particular focus on combating malnutrition and anaemia. Additionally, the initiative conducts awareness campaigns on HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and substance de-addiction.

·    Nayi Kiran, menstrual health program: At Chhattisgarh, the company’s Nayi Kiran project creates awareness of menstrual health & hygiene, builds capacity for manufacturing of sanitary products, and develops local champions of menstrual health. So far, the project has sensitized 57,000+ community members towards menstruation.

·   BALCO Hospital:BALCO Hospital offers 120 beds and a skilled medical team of  specialists. It houses state-of-the-art facilities including a fully equipped Modular OT, a cutting-edge CT scan room, an advanced X-ray room, and an emergency and critical care unit for meeting the healthcare requirements of the community. Additionally, as an ISO 9001-2015 certified facility, the hospital boasts robust quality management systems. The hospital receives a yearly footfall of more than 1. 8 lakh people from the communities.

·   BALCO Medical Centre (BMC):BALCO Medical Centre (BMC) is a 170-bed, state-of-the-art tertiary care Oncology facility in Naya Raipur. It is the flagship initiative of Vedanta Medical Research Foundation (VMRF), a non-profit organization by Vedanta Resources and Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. (BALCO). BMC is emerging as a national leader in India’s oncology space, providing comprehensive medical, surgical, radiation, haematological, BMT, and palliative care services.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. www.vedantaaluminium.com