Cipla to give nebulisers to primary health care centres in India

New Delhi: Homegrown pharma major Cipla Ltd on Friday said it will donate 5,000 nebulisers to primary health care centres in India as part of its initiative to improve access to nebulisation therapy specifically for patients in rural parts of the country. These nebulisers will be distributed at CHCs (community health centres) and PHCs (primary health centres) across several states.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Sikkim will be adopted by Cipla to create good nebulisation centres, spread awareness regarding the therapy and undertake training for the associated paramedical staff on the science of safe nebulisation practices, the company said in a statement.

Cipla India Business CEO Achin Gupta said, "In line with our purpose of 'Caring for Life', we aim to address the low awareness and gaps in nebulisation therapy for acute asthma across rural areas".

The adoption of these centres under the aegis of Cipla across the states within the country will help it reach far and wide to address the challenge of access to nebulisation therapy in India, he added.

"Our aim is to help as many patients as we can with respiratory disorders visiting these primary health setups for management of their acute episodes and to benefit from this cause enormously," Gupta noted.

Citing Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, the statement said there are 72 million people in India who suffer from Obstructive Airway Disease (OAD) -- asthma and COPD (chronic inflammatory lung disease).

Patients suffering from asthma/COPD face at least one or two episodes of disease worsening every year that requires them to visit a hospital or their nearest health centre or consult with their doctor, the company said.

"Given the limited availability of nebulised treatment at rural setups, patients are often given oral drugs or injectable for management of these acute episodes," it added.

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