Vedanta Lanjigarh equalize efforts to end HIV/AIDS in rural Odisha

 Week-long awareness campaign conducted across Lanjigarh and Ambodala

Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha, 12^th December, 2023- On this World AIDS Day, Vedanta Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina and a part of Vedanta Aluminium, conducted a week-long awareness program in line with this year’s theme ‘Let Communities Lead’ highlighting the fact that programs and initiatives perform better when driven by the most impacted communities.

The week-long campaign was designed to amplify HIV/AIDS awareness across Lanjigarh and nearby areas through captivating storytelling and community engagement activities. During the campaign, information on key measures to prevent HIV/AIDS were shared through rallies, sessions and distribution of informative pamphlets within Lanjigarh and Ambodala. Through such initiatives, the company reached out to more than 1000 members of the community, which included migrant workers, pregnant women, college students, and truck drivers, among others.

The campaign encapsulated door-to-door sensitization drive in the surrounding areas and also witnessed an active participation from college students who volunteered in the awareness rally through. The awareness sessions delved into the subject of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). ART is a comprehensive approach involving a combination of medications. It is designed to provide crucial support to individuals living with HIV, emphasizing its role in fostering longer and healthier lives for those affected by-HIV/AIDS.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, CEO – Alumina Business Vedanta Ltd said, “Health is one of the priorities for assuring perceptible economic and social development in today’s fast-growing world. Vedanta Lanjigarh strives to work for the collective health and well-being of our community.Addressing HIV/AIDS as a global health challenge can be mitigated through focussed outreach to our communities. Through such initiatives, we are committed to taking significant steps and look forward to collaboratively shaping a better future for the community.”

Appreciating Vedanta Lanjigarh’s endeavours, Kabiraj Pradhan, Principal, Samant Junior College, Ambodala, said, “World AIDS day remains as crucial today as it has always been and is still an existing concern for individuals and communities. In today’s world, being sensitised on such health issues is an indispensable part of ensuring a resilient society. Hence, I extend my gratitude to Vedanta Lanjigarh for such an initiative, which is imperative to ensure community well-being.”

World AIDS Day is marked as an important day worldwide by the World Health Organisation -UNAIDS. On this day, communities across the globe pledge to embrace, educate and endorse all aspects around this prevalent yet preventable disease through community awareness and needful interventions. Globally, more than 30 million people are living with HIV worldwide. Through such awareness initiatives and other preventive and curative healthcare endeavours, Vedanta Lanjigarh strives to ensure community health and well-being. Some of their notable initiatives include:

• Vedanta Hospital: This hospital is a state-of-the-art medical facility, well equipped with experienced doctors, physiotherapists and visiting specialists, and 24X7 ambulance service for referrals. Over 60,000 people visit the Vedanta Hospital every year.
• Maa Santoshi Jankalyan Hospital: Supported by Vedanta Lanjigarh, it caters to the needs of 9 Gram Panchayats within the Bankakundru region. This area is situated in the remote fringes of Lanjigarh Block, making the hospital’s role all the more crucial.

• MHU (Mobile Health Unit): A customized vehicle that brings free primary healthcare services to people in under-served areas. Since its inception in 2006, it has delivered healthcare services to over 23000 people across 61 villages.

• Cataract Camps: For more than a decade, Vedanta Lanjigarh has been organizing annual cataract camps in collaboration with the renowned eye hospital Netra Chikitsalaya Lepra Society, Sonepur. In FY23 alone, over 1100 people have benefitted from the project.

• Pehli Udaan: This initiative aims to promote better menstrual health and hygiene practices among rural women by helping them break cultural stigmas. It focuses on enhancing community access to quality menstrual hygiene products and has benefitted over 3000 women and adolescent girls in FY24.

• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan – Launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, the program aims to provide assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care, free of cost, universally to all pregnant women. Vedanta Hospital in Lanjigarh organizes a PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan) Program on the 9^th of every month.