Global healthcare company Abbott has committed to upgrading 75 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across nine States in India in partnership with Americares India Foundation, a health-focused relief and development organisation.

The HWC programme, supported by an Abbott grant of about Rs 200 million ($2.4 million), will serve over 2.5 million people from under-resourced communities every year. 

Currently, Abbott and Americares have upgraded 16 PHCs across Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as part of its first phase, serving over 500,000 people. They plan to upgrade the remaining 59 PHCs across the four mentioned states along with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand by early 2024.

HWCs strengthen India’s primary healthcare system to advance access to care and support local communities. This also will support and tackle immense health threats and lessen the country’s burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which account for roughly 61% of all deaths in India.

The initiative has three core objectives – to upgrade local PHCs to HWCs, drive capacity building for healthcare workers, and improve community awareness around NCDs and infectious diseases. By expanding access to services across prevention, treatment and care, low-income populations can benefit from improved awareness of health and wellness, greater access and timely care, leading to better health outcomes.

The programme will provide essential medical instruments including ECG machines and equipment for maternal, neonatal, respiratory and eye care, and will strengthen key infrastructure and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions. This includes enhancing access to safe drinking water and separate, clean toilets for males and females. WASH interventions are critical to safeguard the health of communities and prevent further infections.