Jaipur, 8th Jan 2021: Hindustan Zinc’s Smile on wheels project which is aimed at providing free healthcare services to people in rural areas has completed two years. Started in the year 2018 in association with Smile Foundation, the project is also helping people to become health conscious and diagnose the disease on time.

The project Smile on Wheels is being executed from the operational units of the company and covers people across 83 villages. The project is playing a prominent role in providing first aid service towards public health, generating awareness, and providing counseling and therapy.

Intensive awareness programs related to Corona infection were organized in state-level schools throughout the month of February 2020. In the last two years, around 3070 OPDs were conducted by Smile on Wheels through which around 97,670 people were benefitted from the primary health care services through free health check-ups. During this period, around 18.69 % of children, 42.96% of women, and 38.34% of men were provided health benefits.

Even in the times of the Corona pandemic, the medical staff did a commendable job of providing continuous health services to the people despite faced with challenges such as wearing a PPE kit in the scorching heat and humid days.

Under the Smile on Wheels project, various health and nutrition-related awareness programs are being organized in almost all the villages of the project area such as personal hygiene and hygiene, anemia, pregnancy, and child care, diabetes, malnutrition and balanced diet, and key issues like World Suicide Day, First Aid Day, Arthritis Day. Around 230 community awareness programs were organized on the ORS day in which around 13590 people participated.

The Smile on Wheels health team is ensuring continuous point of care, rapid test in addition to OPD, referral service as well as the screening of expectant mothers, and providing proper health care through ASHA and ANM.

In the last two years, more than 3690 points of care tests were was done by the team and medication and counseling were given as per requirement. Also, more than 1,110 patients were also referred for better health checkups and facilities. During this period, a health check-up of around 992 pregnant mothers was also conducted and they were provided nutritional advice along with iron and calcium supplements.

As part of its core philosophy, HZL works closely with its communities to create value for its stakeholders and drive overall social-economic development. The company is currently impacting the lives of about 5 Lakh people through various community development initiatives. The CSR initiatives focus on 184 villages in the vicinity of its business operations in Rajasthan.