Top experts stressed the role Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives by companies can play in supporting child health projects, especially at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the delivery of child health across the country. This was discussed during a webinar on The Role of CSR in Building Sustainable Change in Child Health. 

The experts underscored the urgent need to invest in strengthening health systems for safeguarding child health, and how organisations can contribute to ensuring sustainability. 

The webinar was spearheaded by Indrashil Kaka-Ba and Kala Budh Public Charitable Trust, the philanthropic arm of Cadila Pharmaceuticals, and Global Health Strategies Institute (GHSi). 

The panel comprised Dr Bharat Champaneria, Trustee at the Indrashil Kaka-Ba and Kala Budh Public Charitable Trust. 

“The presence of limited resources or the lack of technical services such as specialised doctors under health infrastructure often becomes a challenge when it comes to ensuring the efficacy of health systems on the ground,” Dr Champaneria said, stressing the need for collective partnership in improving health systems on the ground. 

Speaking about prioritizing sustainable systems for child health, the District Development Officer (DDO) of Bharuch, Yogesh Chaudhary, highlighted that the Government of Gujarat had been taking steps to ensure last-mile delivery of healthcare. 

Head of CSR at Arvind, Niraj Lal shared key insights on the need for private-private partnerships to strengthen ground-level healthcare.