ONE among the numerous challenges in the healthcare sector in India has been the lack of access to quality services for the poor and marginalised communities. This has been largely due to dismal investment in public healthcare which is just at 1% of the GDP — among the lowest in the world.

The healthcare infrastructure came under considerable strain during the Covid-19 pandemic and exposed its shortcomings. But there are several NGOs which are identifying the root causes of healthcare challenges and are coming up with innovative solutions. They are working in various areas such as child and reproductive health, nutrition, early identification of diseases, and treatment of communicable diseases.

1. Doctors For You

Doctors for You (DFY) was founded in 2007 by doctors, medical students and like-minded people with a vision of “health for all”. Currently, DFY is working on various projects in 17 different states across India involving healthcare professionals, disaster management practitioners, social workers, etc. It reaches out to segments affected by extreme poverty, disasters, neglect and years of injustice.

Their major focus is to address the healthcare and nutritional needs of the affected population. They also work to improve sexual and reproductive health, maternal, infant and child health in emergencies and have vast experience working in disaster-prone areas. DFY has received several awards like the SAARC Award (2010), The British Medical Journal Group Award (2009), Golden Ruby Award (2015) and recognition from state governments for their outstanding contribution to the humanitarian field. To support Doctors For You, you can donate here.

2. Rural Health Care Foundation

Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF) has been working for healthcare since 2009 and provides high quality and affordable primary medical care to low-income and underprivileged groups in West Bengal. Their aim is to make healthcare accessible to the poorest and the most deprived sections. RHCF has 17 centres operating across the state which include 12 centres in remote rural areas. Their goal is to continue improving the health and lives of the underserved who face social and financial challenges.

Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF)

Their healthcare centres provide patients with affordable medical consultations along with a week’s supply of free medication. To date, over 23 lakh patients have been treated at the RHCF centres. To support Rural Health Care Foundation, you can donate here.

3. Swasth Foundation

Established in 2009 with the vision of ‘Health and Joy for All’, Swasth is on a mission to build a sustainable and accountable health ecosystem. The organisation’s network of primary healthcare centres provides affordable services to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure by over 50% for those in need.

Swasth Foundation

The centres are focused on enhancing the state of the physical, social, mental and emotional well-being of people. This is done through interventions like courses, classes, workshops and one-on-one interactions. The programmes are designed based on integrating various modalities of well-being like yoga, Ayurveda, nutrition, counselling, coaching, etc. To support Swasth Foundation, you can donate here

4. Foundation for Mother and Child Health

This is a grassroots organisation that ensures healthcare and nutrition intervention for women and children in vulnerable communities of Mumbai. Their programmes encourage preventive health, balanced nutrition and child development practices in underprivileged settlements. To this effect, they have adopted a holistic approach to embrace, educating and empowering mothers and children in their social environment.

Foundation for Mother and Child Health

The FMCH Training Center in Mumbai was launched with the objective of developing a cadre of professionals across Maharashtra and eventually the entire country. Urban Nutrition Initiative and Project Poshan are nutrition-specific interventions where FMCH works closely with the families and large groups to promote good health, hygiene, and nutrition practices. Their programmes impact over 930 pregnant and lactating mothers annually. To support Foundation for Mother and Child Health, you can donate here.

5. CanKids KidsCan

Founded in 2004 under the Indian Cancer Society, CanKids KidsCan is the only national NGO working across the entire spectrum of childhood cancer care in India. Through their signature program YANA (You are Not Alone), CanKids provides holistic support to a child with cancer from the moment of detection, through diagnosis, treatment, and after. CanKids works in partnership with 113 cancer centres in 62 cities and 27 states of India. In addition, they also run 10 Home Away from Homes (HAH), 2 CanShala, and a Palliative Care Centre – a first of its kind in India. To support CanKids KidsCan, you can donate here.

6. Swasthya Swaraj

With healthcare and education as their areas of focus, this nonprofit is working towards making good health a reality for the poorest and the underserved. It has set up model community health programmes in tribal areas like Thuamul Rampur Block of Kalahandi district in Odisha, where families are destitute and their children grossly undernourished. The tribals living here are too familiar with deprivation, sicknesses, and deaths – many unreported and from preventable causes.

Swasthya Swaraj

Swasthya Swaraj’s Comprehensive Community Health Programme is active in 76 villages and adopts a unique community empowering model to expand its reach. Its overall efforts are towards creating a just and equitable society, free from the shackles of ill health, illiteracy, and poverty. To support Swasthya Swaraj, you can donate here.

7. DoctorsForSeva Arogya Foundation (Aarogya Seva)

Aarogya Seva is an international, humanitarian volunteer organisation dedicated to providing quality healthcare services to various segments of society through micro-volunteering. The NGO provides a platform for all sectors of the healthcare industry – including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, private practitioners, and healthcare service providers of all specialities – to serve patients in marginalised communities.

Aarogya Seva has reached over 100,000 beneficiaries so far and hopes to touch one million lives in the next two years with its army of 25,000 volunteers. To support DoctorsForSeva Arogya Foundation, you can donate here.

8. Movement for Alternatives and Youth Awareness (MAYA)

Started in 1991, MAYA is a Karnataka-based non-profit working to create an equitable society that systematically addresses issues around livelihood, education and health.

Through its health programme, MAYA has created a healthcare delivery system for preventive and promotive health. Health workers are trained and enabled with the technology to screen, monitor and advise vulnerable groups for health conditions like blood pressure, blood sugar and anaemia at affordable rates at their doorstep. Currently, there are 100+ health workers operating in three districts covering a population of about 3,00,000. To support Movement for Alternatives and Youth Awareness (MAYA), you can donate here.

9. SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health)

This 34-year-old works in the vulnerable, semi-tribal and deprived district of Gadchiroli in the easternmost corner of Maharashtra. Its vision is to achieve ‘Aarogya Swaraj’ (healthy life) empowering individuals and groups to take charge of their own health and help them achieve freedom from disease and dependence.

SEARCH has done pioneering work in maternal and newborn health, tribal health, women’s health, reduction of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and non-communicable diseases. These programmes have won accolades internationally including WHO Public Health Champion, TIME Global Health Heroes, MacArthur Foundation Award for Most Effective Institutions and National Award for Women’s Development. To support SEARCH, you can donate here.

10. Charutar Arogya Mandal

The Mandal provides comprehensive healthcare at an affordable cost to rural communities in the Anand and Kheda districts of Gujarat.

Charutar Arogya Mandal

What started with a general hospital with 136 beds is now an institution that includes a medical college recognised by the Medical Council of India, a 720-bed hospital, an institute for post-graduate studies, a school of nursing, a college of physiotherapy, an institute of medical technology and a cardiac care and cancer centre. To support Charutar Arogya Mandal, you can donate here.

Support these 10 healthcare NGOs on Give.do

To help people across India get access to much needed healthcare for their various needs, you can support these incredible NGOs that are making great strides in the area of healthcare. Explore these fundraisers on Give.do and be a changemaker today! 

This blog was updated in September 2023.

Give exists to alleviate poverty by enabling the world to give. Established in 2000, Give, together with its partners, is the largest and most trusted giving platform in India. Give enables individuals and organizations to raise and donate funds conveniently to any cause they care about, with offerings including crowdfunding, corporate giving, cause marketing, and philanthropy consulting. Give’s community of 2.6M+ donors supports 3,000+ verified nonprofits, serving 15M+ people across the country.

Previous article‘Women who are illiterate face more atrocities’
Next articleGive survey: Health and hunger are citizens’ top concerns

68 COMMENTS

  1. I AM DR.BIMALENDU SAHA,PRIVATE PRACTICING IN KOLKATA SINCE 1974 AS A FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND PEDIATRICIAN WISH TO PROVIDE FREE HEALTH CHECK UP TO POOR AT LEAST TWO DAYS PER WEEK NEARER TO KOLKATA . I,THEREFORE,REQUEST ANY GOOD,REKNOWNED,TRUSTED,HEALTHCARE NGOS TO CONTACT ME. DR.BIMALENDU SAHA.MOB-NO ;-8017807856.E-MAIL-sahabimalendu17@gmail.com

  2. Hi,
    Great work. These NGOs are working for underprivileged and disabled communities. Hats off for the people who are supporting these communities and contributing to the advancement of the people who are underprivileged or disabled. Sightsavers is also one of the best NGO for blind children. It is an NGO who works not only in India but also in other countries and providing all the facilities for visually impaired. It is a non-profitable NGO which is working in India since 1966.

  3. I m from Assam in Lakhimpur District . We want some development of this District some best help.Many cancer patients are here. …also sugar pressure etc…many poor people are struggle in Cenecer ..sugar etc..If your NGO will work in our aries …we will help you…Thank you

    • Hi Sandeep,

      I would suggest that you check out the work of the above mentioned NGOs in detail. I am sure you will get some ideas.

  4. This is something really commendable and deserve to be appreciated as there is really bad condition of healthcare facilities in most part of India. Thus, having such NGO’s are really crucial for our country.

    • Hi….:)

      Happy to know that you found the information useful. Do let us know if you would like to donate to any of these NGOs and need any assistance for the same.

  5. My ngo name is meera welfare charitable trust we are working every saturday and sunday free eye and health checkup camp in extremly rural areas bihar and jharkhand .in which we r 5 doctors to performing this work by own contribution.plz any ngo want to do support and contribute fund for furher social work .plz call me 7870922612.

    • Hi Chandan 🙂
      Thank you for sharing about the wonderful initiative that you and your colleagues have taken. Hope you can make healthcare accessible to more and more people in need. Good luck!

  6. HI
    I am a doctor and I run my own hospital in Varanasi.
    My father in law runs a charitable hospital in one of the rural areas of Ambedkarnagar.I would be highly obliged if any one of these NGOs recognise our work and help us in taking this further so that we can cover a huge population at an affordable cost.

    • Hi Priya 🙂
      So happy to know about your father’s initiative. Can you help us with more details about the kind of collaboration/help you are looking forward to?

    • Hi,I am Trilochan from odisha belongs to a poor family.I am suffering from multiple health disaster from last few years.I am always laying down in bed with severe pain and sorrow.Depending on government medical here at odisha the health facility is very very vey poor.The diagnostic also very poor.The disease will find out out at the period of end.

      .There is no support for my family and even my wife also.Everyday I am suffering like hell.Still i am struggling and i have hope that i will be atLeast if i will littlebit feel better then i will work and survive.Now i am not able to buy my daily medicine.
      It is my humble request kindly help me for treatment and help me to fulfill my last wish of life is to help poor and sick people.god bless you.
      Thanks and Regards,
      Trilochan
      +917852983261

  7. Hey, The information was useful. But Is there any NGO that focuses only on providing nutritional food to the elderly?
    If yes, please let me know.

  8. I am a chemical engineer[ IITBombay and MIT,USA] and worked for 26 years in the chemical industry at senior functional levels in R&D and Technology. I got into a hobby of Ayurveda in 1983 and soon invented a simple one step kitchen process. Using this process, you can convert any natural product into an extract in Sesame oil. The extract displays the known properties of the natural product and does this at dose 100 to 1000 times lower than the conventional dose. I have used it successfully on a wide variety of health conditions. This obviously is an extremely affordable way to provide medicines. I have Indian patents but am very keen to work with like minded NGO’s or groups to propagate it for the benefit of society. Pl go to katonics.co.in for more information.

  9. Amazing blog !!
    People should be aware of NGOs so that whenever they need any kind of support someone should be there their contribution towards the betterment of society. It is eveyones duty to give back to society in any way possible. You did a fantastic job of writing thoroughly about them and making people aware of them. This can motivate the wellwishers of society to break out of their comfort zone and contribute.
    Chikittsa Wellness

  10. I have a very big project to help poor people and farmers, Fisher man’s etc at least more then 200 open heart surgery’s can be done for free and this can be done every year .but the problem is I don’t know whom to contact , I stay in Bangalore and this is my contact no 8050936278

    • Hello sir namaskar.mera naam Dilbag Singh hai aur main kaithal,Haryana ka rahne vala hu.sir Maine 2016 me apni ladki ke ak kaan ka cochlier implant karvaya tha kyouki vo deaf&dumb thi.sir bahut mahnga hai cochlier implant.sir ab uske kaan pe Jo machine lagi this uski replacement par 75000 ka kharcha aayega joki mere paas nahi hai .sir Kya aap Meri help Kar sakte ho aapki bahut meharbaani hogi.aapka ahsaan jindgi bhar nahi bhulunga. Sir please aap Meri madad karna ya kisi donor ko jaante ho to please jaroor batana sir.My contact no. 9896699124 ,9588520791

      • Hello Dilbag Singh ji,

        Humare partner NGO ‘Sense International (India)’ deafblind bacho ki madad karte hai. Niche unki contact details hai. Please ek bar unse contact kijiye.

        Phone: +91 07926301282
        Email: iarbaaz@senseintindia.org
        Address: 2nd Floor Admin Block,
        Andhajan Mandal Campus,
        Opp. Indian Institute of Management (IIM),
        Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
        Gujarat

  11. all the comments i seen are belong to 2019 , hats up to us we the people change our india sooner,
    i will also open a NGO to help.

    • Hi Mukul 🙂

      Happy to know that you found the information useful. Do let me know if you would like to donate to any of these NGOs and need any assistance for the same. Also,thank you for sharing the information about Mental Health Act in India.

    • Hi Rahul,

      We support our partner NGOs in raising money to help people in state/city/village they work in. If you are looking for help, please provide more details, for me to suggest a relevant NGO partner who could help.

  12. Dear sir/madam,

    My Father suffering from back bonn And Liver Cancer he need financial help for his operation we are not capable to aarange the operation amount, if there is any help provide by your organization, that will be a big favour on us.

    Please help us,to out come from this problem

    Please contact me on below number

    8882221255/8076235521/9811190439

    Regards
    Brijesh Kumar

  13. This is such a wonderful blog about 10 ngos which have revolutionised healthcare in India. I like how you have researched and presented these exact points so clearly. Great blog indeed, will visit again future to read more!!

  14. Hello I’m saba from Hyderabad telangana ..I’m a boxer …before 10 months in section for clg game I was injured accidentally….acl injury….I have aarogyasri card but doctor saying I want pay 1lak
    ..can u help me I don’t have money

  15. Hi,

    I need financial help for further treatment of my mother also i have created 1 fundraiser. Can some one help me raising funds for the same.

  16. Hi
    I’m truly inspired by your article and the prompt responses from Give India. Hopefully you could help me too…

    A very poor person is in need for dialysis. He is diabetic. He works as a sweeper for our society in Gurgaon, sector 54. Can some help be provided?
    He is a Bengali migrant, and might soon return to his village in absence of aid or money.

    Many thanks. -Tanya

  17. This is great piece of information, Samruddhi. Would be great if you could help with the name of top NGOs in India that are helping spread awareness regarding sex education, and doing excellent job in promoting health.

  18. My father’s age is 61 yrs, he face stong eye problem, doctros prescribed accentrix inj(ranibizumab) three time. It is costly and my family is very poor to arrenge the money. Any body help me to suggest any NGO where i can contact to get help for my father.

  19. Need help for one of woman patient. She is in financial trouble very much. Need more than ₹ 70,000/-
    If you can help please call on 9987001263

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here