Rakhi Singha is an Accredited Social Health Activist or ASHA worker. Selected through an SHG (Self Help Group) & trained by Ambuja Cement Foundation, Rakhi earlier worked as an ACF Sakhi. Subsequently, she was absorbed by the government but supports ACF's maternal health programs. Rakhi plays a pivotal role in keeping the villages of Farakka in West Bengal, healthy. In fact, frontline workers like Rakhi have been instrumental in providing the last mile health access to 66% of India which lives in its villages. Good health, in turn, has helped pave the way to prosperity, for many in rural India. As COVID-19 runs rampant, their significance is being realised even more - It is these frontline workers who are ensuring that India's villages remain safe & adequate healthcare can be provided.
Health & Prosperity - A Symbiotic Relationship

The relationship between health & prosperity has been established in the past by multiple commissions, including the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (2001) which determined that

1. Disease reduces the number of years of healthy life expectancy & productivity. While the loss of time & money owing to limited access to healthcare & expensive alternatives affects economic well-being, the cumulative losses on the economy due to shortened life expectancy & chronic disabilities is enormous.
2. Societies with high infant mortality rates & child mortality rates tend to have more children to offset the losses. Consequently, the burden of health & education of these children is challenging & often pushes families deeper into poverty.
3. Business & infrastructure investment is severely impacted if enterprises are plagued with diseases & ill health.

The WHO, in fact estimates that a 10-year increase in average life expectancy at birth translates into a rise of 0.3-0.4% in economic growth per year.

India today towers over most of the world as the fifth largest economy & has been consistently achieving an annual growth rate of 6-7% over the past decade. However, for this growth to be sustainable, it is imperative that the health of its citizens is also well taken care of. As per the Human Development Index, India is ranked 129 among 182 countries, a dismal show for a country that has high economic aspirations.

Enabling Access to Healthcare


Rakhi and over 350 other Sakhis trained by ACF as frontline health workers act as a critical bridge in providing healthcare access to families in villages, including Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Care. Even amid the current situation, ACF's Health Sakhis have been helping Government staff to organize Village Health & Nutrition Days at its villages & providing awareness about COVID-19 through various Audio/Video messages, distributing masks and sanitizers, all the while also ensuring regular health care needs are being met.


Furthermore, ACF has also been equipping rural youth with nursing schools through its skilling centres (SEDI). To date, over 3380 General Duty Nursing Assistants - 2728 women and 655 men, have passed out of these centres & are gainfully employed. Many of these men & women are today at the frontlines of India's war against COVID-19.

Health is Wealth

As is evidenced in the rise of Asian nations such as South Korea, China, Malaysia & Thailand, stellar economic performance is preceded by improvements in health indicators. This prosperity can also be realised by India by making its communities more resilient. Improving access to healthcare will be key in pushing this great country out of poverty into prosperity.