Our Initiatives

Initiative – 2

Aum Voice Prosthesis

AUM voice prosthesis is a recent Indian invention for voice restoration in laryngeal cancer patients. They have named it AUM voice prosthesis, signifying a primeval sound for a patient who regains his voice to communicate again. Many western devices available in the market are in the range of 25,000-45,000 rupees which is not affordable to all patient groups. Cost limitation is the main factor due to which these patients remain with lack of voice. Thus, AUM prosthesis was invented.

The main aim of invention was making science accessible and to create the most affordable device at best possible quality for voice restoration in laryngeal cancer patients.

AUM voice prosthesis is made of platinum cured silicon medical grade and it is about Rs. 50 (<1$). It involves implantation of device in patients undergoing laryngectomy enabling them to speak after surgery.

Initiative – 3

Cancer Care Program

Cancer Care today is a vital aspect of healthcare. However, the rising cost of healthcare and increasing sophistication of healthcare industry has made it difficult for medical care facilities to be universally available at affordable costs. Most of the patients who belong to the low socioeconomic strata find it impossible to meet the financial demands of healthcare. Treatment in their cases not only bears the costs of healthcare for the individual but also other hidden costs to the family, such as travel to city, accommodation expenses and several other intangible problems, which further add to the mental and economic burden. It is with this background that SDMC trust set up the Cancer Care Program to take cancer care to the periphery of the country. Presently, this outreach programme has targeted rural areas in vicinity of smaller towns. As part of the program, we identify patients from poor socio-economic backgrounds and help them with their cancer care by providing the required financial support from our end. It is here that we seek funds from philanthropists and organizations that are willing to be part of this cause and support us in helping these patients through their rehabilitation.

Initiative – 4

Rural Outreach program

We have been performing the tobacco control programs in rural Bengaluru as a part of the social initiative. This rural outreach Programme was initiated with NGO’s working in villages in the vicinity of Bengaluru. Various NGO’s are working to improve the health care delivery in the villages by conducting regular camps. However, these health camps culminate in doctors visiting the villages and diagnosing ailments or treating them at best.  In this exercise, however, one misses out the important note, what causes these ailments? A vast majority of them are related to habits (Tobacco – rampant in villages, alcohol), hygiene or diet.  Hence this was a sincere effort towards treating the cause rather than its effect.

In this program doctors volunteer to participate in the rural outreach programme and visit the villages. Awareness on the hazards of tobacco is created using informative pictorial presentation illustrating the ill effects of tobacco and its dire consequences. The villagers are motivated into quitting the habit by discussing the consequence on their personal health and the economic losses to individual and families for treating the illness. These counseling sessions are done from house to house, as a part of group discussion involving 2-3 families and are conducted in the houses, at school veranda or in their known surroundings