AkzoNobel India has partnered with Telerad Foundation, a global healthcare organization to begin a telehealth project- Aarogya Sakha, to improve the healthcare status of the painter community. 

In the first phase of this project, the healthcare service will be accessible to 2,00,000 painters and their families across states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Painters will receive consultations in Kannada, Hindi, and English.

With a 24x7 assistance for appointment booking, the facility provides access to doctors and specialists from Bengaluru's premium RxDx Healthcare chain to the painters and their families. Aarogya Sakha offers both audio and video consultation, thrice a week. The initiative provides impetus to AkzoNobel India’s ongoing efforts to connect blue collar communities with affordable healthcare care.

Rajiv Rajgopal, Managing Director, AkzoNobel India, said, “In these extraordinary times, Aarogya Sakha bridges the gap between underprivileged painters and quality healthcare by enabling them to connect through virtual channels. Painters, and contractors are an integral part of our value chain and with Aarogya Sakha, we are committed in providing quality yet affordable healthcare to them and their families. The facility offers specialized healthcare services including of screening of COVID-19 symptoms.” 

Before starting the Aarokya Sakha project, a survey was carried out by Telerad Foundation on behalf of AkzoNobel to understand the health needs and feasibility of telehealth amongst the painter community. As per the survey, the painter community expressed their primary concern over the accessibility and affordability to quality healthcare. 33% of the painter community spend nearly ₹12,000 annually on hospital charges and fees. About 83% of contractors and 68% painters mentioned that they own smartphones, while 68% of the population are accustomed to video calls. Studies have shown that 70% of the outpatient cases do not require a physical presence in a clinic for an accurate diagnosis. And, telehealth is a convenient solution in making specialist care readily available. 

Recently, Bengaluru based AkzoNobel India launched Dulux Protect, a comprehensive programme aimed at supporting painters and contractors due to the challenges posed by the pandemic. Some of the initiatives include financial support, providing dry ration kits, health protection through insurance and tele-medicine facilities, and a safe return to the workplace by providing PPE kits.