Nachiket Mor urges NGOs to follow Ambuja Foundation's lead

The work of Ambuja Foundation on tackling COVID-19 recently became the focus of the former National Director for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nachiket Mor.

In a recent tweet, he shared a published research paper and resource for NGOs, stating: “NGOs and Primary Care Providers are going to be at the front-lines of this battle against COVID-19. As expected, NGOs are already stepping up. Read about the work of one such NGO, the Ambuja Foundation @WeAreACF.”

The paper outlines Ambuja Foundation's efforts to tackle the disease — using the work as a case study for other NGOs to follow and develop their own strategies to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in their communities.

“Ambuja Foundation's Sakhis are a key example of what can be achieved if we empower primary health care providers like ASHAs and other frontline community health workers,” he said. “If primary care givers can provide a primary linkage with medical experts AND be empowered to do basic work to tackle COVID-19 (like administering oxygen), we can curb the potential for patients to inundate and overwhelm India's tertiary health care system,” Mr. Mor added.

Nachiket Mor has a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. His current work is principally focused on designing national and regional health systems. He has served on the Planning Commission's High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Care, the Primary Care Task Force of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Health Commission for the State of Himachal Pradesh, and the Standing Committee on Health Systems Strengthening at the National Academy of Medicine in Washington DC. He also helped create a new model for comprehensive primary care, pioneered by SughaVazhvu Healthcare in remote rural parts of Tamil Nadu, and offers a seminar on Health Systems Design at the Chennai-based Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health.

To read the paper: Click Here