A new beginning

'Sure Start',an initiative by PATH (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health),working to improve maternal and newborn health in the state jointly held an urban health meet with the public health department officials of Maharashtra.

Sure Start intends to develop models,under which strengthening the health system and clinical care will be the target. These models may be replicated across other cities in future

‘Sure Start’,an initiative by PATH (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health),working to improve maternal and newborn health in the state jointly held an urban health meet with the public health department officials of Maharashtra.

The meeting was a result of continuous discussions held between the state government officials and PATH in the wake of the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) that is on the anvil and was organised with a view to share on ground experiences and learnings till date from the ‘Sure Start’ project.

Launched in November 2005,’Sure Start’ is a five-year project,initiated across seven districts of Uttar Pradesh in the rural areas and in select urban slums in seven cities across Maharashtra. The project team has been working with an objective to increase individual,household and community action that improves maternal and newborn health. The programme aims at enhancing systems and institutional capabilities for sustained improvement in maternal and newborn care and health status. The team monitors and tracks the progress of interventions in order to assess the progress and success of the programme in bringing about the desired behaviour change.

Anjali Nayyar,country director,PATH said,”PATH programmes worldwide are based on the key premise that simple practices can have a profound impact on the health status of communities and especially the vulnerable ones. The ‘Sure Start’ programme in UP and Maharashtra will help us learn about implementing strategies to reduce maternal and newborn deaths and improve their health.”

In Maharashtra,’Sure Start’ supports a range of innovative pilot activities being carried out in urban slums,intended to develop models that may be replicated across cities elsewhere in the future. There are seven programmes models being followed,each of them focus on strengthening the health system and clinical care by working on four key intervention levels.

This includes community mobilisation,increasing demand and facilitation of an enabling environment; building household awareness in essential maternal and newborn care and nutrition including recognition of danger signs and appropriate care seeking; appropriate referral,facilitating access to institutional deliveries and skilled attendance at birth and lastly strengthening of linkages between communities and the public and private healthcare systems.

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The GOM is looking at ‘Sure Start’ as a model,which will provide key learnings for the upcoming NUHM. Next month the Municipal Corporation officials from other cities will be visiting ‘Sure Start’ cities and project sites to have an on ground experience of the work being done in these areas. PATH has also been invited by GOM to be a part of the task force on urban health in the state.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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