Operation ASHA - Last mile delivery of health services and products at the doorstep of the under-served

The salient features of OA’s model :

• Use of algorithms approved by Governments and WHO
• Close coordination with Government and other stakeholders
• Empowerment of target communities and well-trained corps of community health workers 
• Active case finding and contact tracing with support of a software application for TB.
• Rapid response testing and education of patients’ immediate circle
• Door delivery of medicine, diagnostics and education 
• Amelioration of side-effects, de-stigmatization and camouflage
• Performance based remuneration of CHWs
• Biometric devices to track compliance and other technology applications to track staff movement, communication of lab results and payment to village workers
• Franchise-like operation for easy replication
• low cost operating model
• Advocacy with stakeholders and governments to improve policy and financial sustainability

Impact:

• OA’s model has been replicated in Uganda by the Millennium Villages and Columbia University, Earth Institute. They are also using OA’s eCompliance technology in Kenya, Peru, Dominican Republic, Tanzania and Afghanistan.
• Achievement of low default of up to 3.1% in TB treatment. Treatment success rate goes up to 88.3%.
• OA increases detection rate of TB by 50-400% within 6-18 months of starting work in any area.
• 75719 patients of normal/ DST TB, 366 patients of MDR TB have been enrolled, one patient of XDR has been treated and three patients of XDR are under treatment.
• Elimination of out of pocket expenses for patients by door-step delivery of services including collection of samples
• 24 Female TB patients were provided vocational training to prevent them from being abandoned by families.
• 342 Haemophilia patients detected and started on treatment
• 10,000 TB patients were tested for diabetes. Those who tested positive are being linked with physicians and trained to manage diabetes successfully in a market sustainable way
• 195 disadvantaged persons have been provided dignified work.
• 93 patients’ jobs have been saved by counsellors who convinced their supervisors, not to terminate them
• Income of 124 micro-entrepreneurs in disadvantaged localities, who work as partners of OA, has been enhanced substantially.
• On treatment, patients earn an additional $13,935 (Rs. 8.36 Lakh) through reinstated productivity in their lifetime, on an average (Annual TB Report 2013, Government of India). Thus, treated patients have benefited by a whopping $ 959 million (Rs 6,330.1 crores).
• With treatment of each patient, the economy saves $12,235 (Rs 7.34 Lakh) in indirect loss (Annual TB Report 2013, Government of India). So the Indian and Cambodian economies have saved $ 842 million (Rs 5,557 crores) for patients who have successfully completed the treatment.
• OA has detected and is helping with management of diabetes, heart disease, hemophilia and depression for thousands.
• OA has distributed millions of analgesic, antacid, antiemetic, iron and calcium tablets.
• OA has also distributed condoms, Oral Rehydration Salt, protein supplements, 8 tons of food and 9000 blankets. Thus, OA’s delivery model is truly turning into a delivery pipeline for disadvantaged areas/ Bottom of the Pyramid markets. Monitoring and Evaluation: “What gets measured, gets done” - is part of the Philosophy of OA. In this spirit, OA tracks the following key performance indicators.

Evaluation Measures for Program: Following key performance indicators are collated, tracked and reviewed monthly on a routine basis. This will be done for the Proposed Project also.