Sparsh

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Hope for Rural Lives

In the wake of the devastating 1993 Latur earthquake that claimed thousands of lives and shattered communities across Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, PRIDE India responded with visionary compassion. In 1996, it established SPARSH (Sastur Project of Action Research Services through Hospital), Maharashtra’s pioneering public-private partnership in rural healthcare. What began as a modest 10-bedded facility in the remote village of Sastur district has evolved into a flagship 30-bedded rural hospital that today stands as a beacon of hope, healing, and health equity for the rural poor.

Lifeline to Villages

SPARSH embodies an integrated, sustainable model of community-centric healthcare that seamlessly blends clinical excellence with preventive outreach. It directly serves underserved populations in Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, and Beed, as well as bordering districts of Karnataka and Telangana, reaching 421 villages and transforming the lives. Every year, it touches over 165,000 lives, delivering accessible, affordable, and high-quality primary healthcare where government services are distant or inadequate. By addressing the full spectrum of needs from maternal and child health to elderly care and HIV/AIDS support SPARSH advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”

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Healthcare at Doorsteps

At the heart of SPARSH lies its state-of-the-art rural hospital, recognised under Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), ISO-certified, and accredited by the National Quality Assurance Standards, the 1st hospital in Maharashtra to achieve such a distinction. The facility offers comprehensive services, including fully equipped operating theatres, maternity and pediatric wards with neonatal intensive care, advanced diagnostics (X-ray, pathology, USG), a Link ART Centre, a dental clinic, a pharmacy, a blood storage unit, and ambulance services. A dedicated training centre and computerised medical records ensure efficiency and continuous improvement.

Complementing hospital care are 4 fully equipped Mobile Medical Units that serve 124 remote villages, bringing preventive and curative services directly to doorsteps. The continuum-of-care approach spans pre-pregnancy to post-delivery, encompassing antenatal check-ups, nutrition counselling, immunisation, breastfeeding promotion, and the detection of malnutrition in children under six. Through awareness campaigns in the hospital,  adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) programmes empower young girls with knowledge on menstrual hygiene, nutrition, and personality development. Elderly health services further strengthen community resilience.

Healing with Compassion

2009

A pillar of compassion is SPARSH’s comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme. Since 2009, the NACO-supported Community Care Centre (CCC), graded ‘A’ twice and recognised as one of Maharashtra’s best has provided home-based care, ART adherence support, counselling, and dignity-restoring services to people living with HIV, including orphaned children

2015

The ART Centre, operational since 2015 in collaboration with the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society, along with ICTC and the Designated Microscopy Centre, extends life-saving care across Latur, Nanded, and Dharashiv. Going beyond medical intervention, Self-Help Groups empower women living with HIV through livelihood training in tie-and-dye, tailoring, and crafts, fostering economic independence and breaking cycles of stigma.

Transforming Rural Lives

SPARSH’s impact has dramatically reduced maternal and infant mortality, prevented child diseases, and improved health-seeking behaviour in some of India’s most vulnerable regions. Its eco-friendly practices, solar power, water management, and a ban on non-recyclable items reflect a forward-thinking commitment to sustainable healthcare. These efforts have earned national and state acclaim. 

Through strategic partnerships with NACO, the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society, and government welfare schemes, SPARSH has overcome geographical isolation, resource constraints, and social stigmas. Its model of community ownership, capacity building, and evidence-based care ensures long-term sustainability and replicability. Today, SPARSH is more than a hospital or project; it is a movement of hope. It heals bodies, restores dignity, empowers women and adolescents, and nurtures healthier futures for thousands of rural families. In an era where equitable healthcare remains a distant dream for many, SPARSH stands as living proof that compassion, innovation, and collaboration can transform lives and build resilient communities. It continues to inspire a vision of a healthier, more inclusive India where no one is left behind.

Services Provided

Impact (2025-26)

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Recent Awards

2025-2026: Balasaheb Thackeray Arogya Ratna Award

2025-2026: Balasaheb Thackeray Arogya Ratna Award

2024–25: 1st Rank State-Level Kayakalp Award (₹15 lakhs) and 1st Rank in Eco-Friendly Practices (₹5 lakhs) from the Government of Maharashtra

2024–25: 1st Rank State-Level Kayakalp Award (₹15 lakhs) and 1st Rank in Eco-Friendly Practices (₹5 lakhs) from the Government of Maharashtra

2nd Rank for conducting 1,298 safe deliveries (April 2024–February 2025) in the rural hospital category.

2nd Rank for conducting 1,298 safe deliveries (April 2024–February 2025) in the rural hospital category.

PRIDE India is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1982. We work with communities to help them become self-reliant.

Contact Us

Plot No.SF-9,G Block, Next To American School Of Bombay, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400098 Maharashtra

PRIDE India is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1982. We work with communities to help them become self-reliant.

Contact Us

Plot No.SF-9,G Block, Next To American School Of Bombay, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400098 Maharashtra

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