Improving health of the underprivileged in Jaipur with Smile on Wheels

Rajasthan – the largest state in India in terms of land area is home to 68 million people. 17% of the total population of the state resides in Jaipur, the state capital. As per the latest census report, more than 7 lakh people in the city live below the poverty line. There are as many as 250 slums in the district with more than 60,000 households.

Majority of the slum clusters are located on the outskirts that include forestlands and flood prone areas. The residents have poor living conditions with inadequate availability of water and sanitation facilities, and overcrowding. The excess in the urban poor population has created a gap in delivery of healthcare services to the underserved children and families. Among the slum dwellers, communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria get easily spread due to ignorance of health-seeking behaviour.

Despite the presence of a good network of public and private healthcare facilities, addressing the growing demand of the health needs of the underprivileged section of the city is a big challenge. Moreover, with majority of the slum population surviving on a very low annual income, spending on healthcare services becomes a big concern for the families.