"Novartis aims to improve healthcare access in developing nations", 7 August 2014

Outside Kenya's capital Nairobi lies the small farming town of Embu…the setting for the second phase of the Familia Nawiri (Healthy Family) initiative, one example of a Novartis 'social venture.'…Familia Nawiri employs a market-based approach improving access to healthcare for poor people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid…Novartis…is now training health educators to teach communities about good health, hygiene, nutrition, common diseases and disease prevention. In addition, Familia Nawiri is increasing access to medicines by informing local physicians and pharmacists about treatment options…Since launching the pilot in India in 2007, Novartis has trained more than 500 health educators and supervisors, and improved access to healthcare across 10 states… Novartis focuses on community outreach and education to raise awareness about diseases and preventive health measures…To date, the results have been impressive: in Kenya, close to 200,000 people have attended health education sessions in the past two years…