To create pathways of change aimed at bridging gaps and reducing inequities in primary healthcare for rural India
The Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) has been awarded the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) grant to establish a Centre for Advanced Research (CAR) for rural healthcare transformation (RAHAT).
Through this grant, CCDC will strive to enhance healthcare inclusivity by enabling primary healthcare accessibility across rural India through the innovative integration of digital health solutions. The CAR for RAHAT, with its Smart Village Initiative, also has the potential to enable social inclusion, empower communities, provide enhanced continuity of care, build research and practice capacity, and establish a robust rural health ecosystem.
The centre will examine implementation gaps in healthcare infrastructure, digital access, and community access and deploy customised interventions to bridge the healthcare inclusivity gap. Through this centre for RAHAT, CCDC aims to create a scalable, multi-stakeholder, transformative rural health research and training platform across four Indian states, to begin with.
This will employ a network of interconnected ICMR health research infrastructure in medical colleges and research institutions across the country. Embracing the objectives of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the ICMR-CAR for RAHAT seeks to promote integration and interoperability, fostering a resilient rural health ecosystem.