Rural areas have higher disease and mortality rates, yet the people who live there make fewer visits to physicians and are less likely to receive personal health counselling or preventive services than those in higher-income areas.
But when they do visit hospitals, it’s for severe cases that result in expensive treatment and longer lengths of stay, which leaves them with huge bills to pay.
Families that cannot afford to pay the fees often take patients out of treatment prematurely or abdicate their duty of care, leaving the sick alone in the hospital and underserved. These acts of desperation lead to avoidable deaths and perpetuate the circle of poverty across generations.
The foundation helps the underprivileged get quality medical care and offset medical bills; saving a lot of lives and livelihoods while at it.
