Sustainable Innovations Inc
Member profile
Sustainable Innovations Inc. harvests innovations for people.
We have perfected social enterprise model that couples "social business" of Noble Laureate Muhammad Yunus and sustainability approach of Mahatma Gandhi. Aakash Ganga, our rainwater harvesting system provides drinking water to communities. Arogya, or Kiosk-based clinic, provides health care for preventable diseases and common ailments to vulnerable populations. These social enterprises are holistically sustainable – culturally, socially, institutionally, operationally, and economically.
Main activities
Arogya, or kiosk-based clinic, provides health care for common ailments and preventable diseases to rural villages and urban slums in rural Rajasthan at a $0.50 per visit cost. These kiosks are equipped with computerized best medical practices and diagnostic devices. Health workers carry Arogya in a shoulder bag and go door to door providing care at home.
Links to the health workforce crisis
Research by World Bank economists revealed that:
- Qualified medical staff and physicians found villages unrewarding, economically;
- Public health care centers suffered from widespread absenteeism;
- People view ailments as normal aging process; and
- Prevailing societal taboos discouraged women from seeking health care.
Arogya’s approach: Make medical knowledge, if not medical professionals, accessible to rural populations. That is, computerize the medical protocols for common ailments and preventable diseases. Rethink the best medical practices. Reduce them to simple interactive algorithms.
The clinics/kiosks of Arogya Ghar are owned and operated by social entrepreneurs. The high school graduated girls and boys chosen from within the village are trained to become social entrepreneurs. These boys and girls are then trained for several weeks to deliver healthcare through the kiosk. These graduates receive training in management and administrative skills to be better equipped to manage the social enterprise successfully. The health workers are supported by a pool of physicians from various reputed hospitals, who provide feedback on treatments and diagnosis made by the health workers.
