Arogya City initiative reaches 12 lakh Bengalureans with preventive healthcare
40 organisations join hands to strengthen NCD screening; One Ward initiative launched to expand grassroots-level healthcare
BENGALURU, November 14, 2026: In a major push towards making Bengaluru the world’s first Arogya City, as many as 12 lakh residents have benefited from screening, early detection and preventive healthcare services for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) over the past two years.
The achievement was announced at the third edition of the Arogya City Summit 2026, organised by Arogya World in collaboration with the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) on Friday.
The initiative aims to tackle the growing burden of lifestyle-related diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer, through early diagnosis, awareness and preventive healthcare. Between 2024 and 2026, 32 organisations joined hands under the programme to extend NCD screening and preventive health services to 12 lakh people across Bengaluru.
One Ward initiative launched
Taking the campaign closer to neighbourhoods, the summit also witnessed the launch of the ‘One Ward’ initiative. The programme aims to strengthen NCD screening at the ward level while collecting essential health data to identify local health concerns and improve preventive healthcare planning.
Building on the progress achieved so far, 40 organisations have come forward to participate in the third edition of the initiative, with a collective target of reaching more than 15 lakh Bengalureans through screening and disease-prevention programmes.
Speaking at the summit, Dr. Nalini Saligram, Founder and CEO of Arogya World, emphasised the importance of collective efforts in addressing public health challenges.
“Improving public health cannot be the responsibility of a single institution. Government, companies, civil society, educational institutions, start-ups and communities need to work together. We have already reached 1.2 million people, and our goal in the coming year is to screen 1.5 million people,” she said.
A panel discussion featuring Dr. Rajani Surendar Bhat, Consultant in Interventional Pulmonology and Palliative Medicine at SPARSH Hospital, and Dr. Arvind Kasthuri, M.D. in Community Medicine at St. John’s Medical College and Hospital, examined the growing importance of preventive healthcare.
The discussion highlighted the critical role of doctors in identifying NCD risks, encouraging timely screening and creating greater public awareness about lifestyle-related diseases.
With wider participation from healthcare institutions, corporates and community organisations, the Arogya City initiative aims to take preventive healthcare beyond hospitals and make it an integral part of everyday life across Bengaluru.
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