New Delhi: To mark 75 years of Independence on August 15, Banega Swasth India along with Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan organised a special show, saluting Bharat Ki ‘ASHA’ to honour the one million ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in India, who have been at the forefront of the healthcare delivery system in the country. For their dedicated services and outstanding contribution towards protecting and promoting health, ASHAs have also got global recognisation from World Health Organisation. They are among the six recipients of the WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Award.
To celebrate their work and further strengthen, empower, support ASHA workers across the country and highlight their inspiring journeys that is helping build a healthier India, Mr Bachchan during the episode spoke with eight ASHA workers.
Here are the highlights of what Campaign Ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan said during the show:
- Amitabh Bachchan On India’s Achievements In Healthcare sector: Highlighting the significant improvements the country has recorded as India completes 75 years of Independence, Amitabh Bachchan said, “Our country has recorded significant improvements in healthcare. Life expectancy has doubled from 35 years in 1950 to 70 years today. Most infectious diseases have been brought under control. Many key indicators of rural healthcare have also improved.”
- Amitabh Bachchan Salutes The Role Played By ASHA Workers: Giving a thumbs up to the work of ASHA workers in the country, he said,“A key role has been played by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA’s) who are a backbone of the National Rural Health Mission and are on the forefront of ensuring a healthy India. India’s (ASHAs) contribution is enormous in reducing maternal and infant mortality amongst the rural and urban poor, and administering immunization especially for making India polio-free and now helping us achieve our impressive Covid vaccination coverage.”
- Amitabh Bachchan On The Role Banega Swasth India Campaign Has Played In Building A Swasth Bharat: Talking about the NDTV-Dettol India Banega Swasth India campaign with which Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan has been associated for more than eight years, he said,“As we culminate the 8th season of the NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign, today on this Independence Day special we salute the one million ASHA workers, who are at the forefront of healthcare delivery in India.”
- Mr Bachchan Talks About The Important Role ASHA Workers Play: On the show, Amitabh Bachchan spoke with eight primary healthcare workers from across the country to highlight the important role they play in building a healthier India and said,“ASHA workers are trained to function as a bridge between the community and the public health system in India.”
- Amitabh Bachchan Highlights The Agenda Of Banega Swasth India Campaign: Campaign Ambassador said that on this season of the campaign, the agenda has been on ‘leaving no one behind’. He signed off and said,“And nobody exemplifies that better than the ASHA worker whose role it is to ensure precisely that…that nobody is left behind. They are the most primary unit in primary health care.”
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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