WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE BRICS PLAYING IN SHAPING GLOBAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDAS AND INFLUENCING INTERNATIONAL POLICIES IN THE FUTURE? 

As BRICS consists of some of the fastest growing & developing economies, its policies and decisions can & will create a long-lasting impact on the citizens of its member countries. In today’s world, every policy decision made by BRICS will play a vital role in directly or indirectly altering the economic, political and social development goals or agendas of their respective countries. 

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS AND ASPIRATIONS FOR THE WOCKHARDT FOUNDATION? ARE THERE ANY NEW PROJECTS OR AREAS OF FOCUS THAT YOU PLAN TO EXPLORE? 

The mission of the Wockhardt Foundation is ‘To work towards and fight for the upliftment of the poor, weak and needy’, and as such all future plans & programmes will continue to revolve around this mission. All our initiatives are undertaken to provide maximum benefit to the underprivileged. 2 of our new initiatives are Hunger Project & Online Skills. The Hunger Project aims to reduce hunger prevalent among the poor in Mumbai. We provide 1 nutritious, freshly cooked meal to the beneficiaries in orphanages & slums. Over 20,000 meals have been distributed to date. Online Skills (an extension of our ongoing programme – Wockhardt Skills Development Institute) aims to develop & offer vocational courses that cater to a wide variety of jobs across different industries/sectors. 

WOCKHARDT FOUNDATION HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS INITIATIVES ACROSS HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND OTHER SOCIAL SECTORS. WHICH PARTICULAR PROJECT OR ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AND WHY? 

E-learning – ensures academic excellence through quality, innovative & interactive teaching methods that provide the complete syllabus in an audio-visual format for school students. E-learning sets have been installed in 425 schools in 6 states. Khel Khel Mein – Edu Recreational Centres (toy libraries) for underprivileged children aged 6 to 12 years. We currently have 6 toy libraries in Mumbai & Bangalore. Gur+ (Dialysis centers) – Free dialysis for poor renal failure patients. Our 3 centers in Chennai have completed over 7500 dialysis sessions in the last financial year alone. Anaaj+ – Free grocery kit distribution to underprivileged families in Mumbai Besides the Mobile 1000 initiative, Hunger Project & Wockhardt Skills Development Institute, we have various other programmes like The project that I am most proud of is Wockhardt Foundation’s flagship healthcare initiative, Mobile 1000 which provides doorstep delivery of free primary healthcare to people living in the remotest and rural parts of India. Each Mobile 1000 van has a doctor, driver and pharmacist and is equipped with medicines, diagnostics and consumables. It covers the ADCR formula of Awareness, Diagnosis, Cure and Referral. During the last financial year (2022-23), over 3.6 million patients benefitted from the 211 vans that were operating in 20 Indian states and 1 union territory covering 4171 villages in 100 districts. 

WOCKHARDT FOUNDATION HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS INITIATIVES ACROSS HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND OTHER SOCIAL SECTORS. CAN YOU PROVIDE US WITH A SYNOPSIS OF THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR? 

Besides the Mobile 1000 initiative, Hunger Project & Wockhardt Skills Development Institute, we have various other programmes like:

• E-learning- ensures academic excellence through quality, innovative & interactive teaching methods that provide the complete syllabus in an audio-visual format for school students. E-learning sets have been installed in 425 schools in 6 states. 
• Khel Khel Mein- Edu Recreational Centres (toy libraries) for underprivileged children aged 6 to 12 years. We currently have 6 toy libraries in Mumbai & Bangalore. 
• Gur+ (Dialysis centers)- Free dialysis for poor renal failure patients. Our 3 centers in Chennai have completed over 7500 dialysis sessions in the last financial year alone. 
• Anaaj+- Free grocery kit distribution to underprivileged families in Mumbai 

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC INITIATIVES OR PROGRAMS THAT YOU BELIEVE SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED OR EXPANDED UPON WITHIN THE BRICS FRAMEWORK TO ADDRESS EMERGING SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE FIELD OF HEALTHCARE OR RELATED SECTORS? 

No, the BRICS is moving in the right direction & with adequate focus on various social issues. 

ARE THERE ANY KEY LESSONS OR INSIGHTS YOU HAVE GAINED THROUGH YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH BRICS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OR INDIVIDUALS WORKING TOWARDS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS? 

In addition to the promotion of commerce & industry, BRICS CCI has taken an active & keen interest in bringing together businesses and social entrepreneurs on a single unified platform. These knowledge-sharing opportunities and partnerships will ultimately benefit society & the underprivileged at large.