The new Collaborative will focus on improving health and nutrition in high-burden and tribal districts, in support of the Government of India’s work to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030 MUMBAI, 19 NOVEMBER, 2019 (GPN): Piramal Foundation today announced the setting up of a Tribal Health Collaborative for India – the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be one of their first partners in this Collaborative. This multi-stakeholder Collaborative will focus on improving health and nutrition outcomes in high-burden and tribal districts, including the Aspirational Districts, and aims to support the Government of India as it works towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 by 2030. SDG 3 is focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. The Tribal Health Collaborative will work closely with the Government of India by supplementing and complementing its efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. It aims to build a high-performing, sustainable health ecosystem to address the needs of marginalized sections of society, particularly tribal communities, covering a population of more than 150 million across several districts, including Aspirational Districts in Central, Eastern, and North-Eastern India. Ajay Piramal, Founder, Piramal Foundation said, “We’re committed to supporting India’s vision to achieve its SDG 3 goals by 2030. Increased focus on rapidly transforming the lives of marginalised sections of society, will serve to accelerate impact at scale. Piramal Foundation has been working with unserved and underserved tribal communities across several states in India, including 25 of the Aspirational Districts. Given the complexity and magnitude of the problem, we believe that partnerships with like-minded, values-based organizations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that seek to complement the Government’s efforts, will provide the much needed impetus. Our proposed Collaborative aims to harmonize the interventions of the Government, Organizations and Philanthropists with the ‘voice of the community’ by creating a framework to democratize healthcare in India.” Bill Gates, Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said, “India’s focus on health and nutrition, particularly for its most vulnerable, is critical to the country and the world’s efforts to meet SDG3. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the government in its work to improve the health and well-being of the world’s poorest.” India’s tribal population has poor health indicators when compared to the general population. The average maternal mortality rate in India is 130 deaths per 100,000 births, while tribal communities average 230 deaths per 100,000 births. Similarly, other health indicators such as infant mortality, child malnutrition rates, and incidence of malaria and tuberculosis are much higher among tribal communities than the general population. The Collaborative will rest on two key pillars: working closely with the government, and co-designing and co-implementing interventions for tribal communities. The four key functions of the platform include: 1.       Facilitating the implementation of key public health interventions in partnership with government functionaries across all levels. 2.       Developing and enabling knowledge sharing across districts by working closely with the District Administration. 3.       Optimizing utilization of district level funding for improved healthcare services. 4.       Leveraging technology to ensure better governance and accountability, and creating an integrated beneficiary-focused health technology platform for the delivery of affordable and accessible primary healthcare services for all. The collaborative is slated to launch in early 2020 with participation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Piramal Foundation, and additional partners to be announced. About Piramal Foundation is a Section 8 company that develops innovative solutions to resolve issues that are critical roadblocks towards unlocking India’s economic potential. The Piramal Group’s core values of Knowledge, Action Care and Impact guide the organisation in carrying out its responsibilities towards society. It believes that considerable positive change can occur when we collaborate with like-minded partners and nurture projects that are scalable, ensuring a long-term impact. In line with the Strategic Development Goals, the Piramal Foundation is focused on universal primary education, empowering women, reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health and improving access to safe drinking water. Recently, Piramal Foundation partnered with NITI Aayog to transform 25 Aspirational Districts across 7 states in India. The Foundation currently works across 21 states and has impacted over 100 million lives, mostly in partnership with state governments. It has developed innovative approaches and programs in every vertical and has built strong partnerships with governments, technology partners and international organizations, including with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Harvard Graduate School of Education and World Diabetes Foundation. The projects are implemented through Piramal Swasthya, Piramal Sarvajal and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership. About the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information: Piramal Corporate Communications: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]