Arogya World and B.PAC expand collaborative efforts with the launch of the ‘One Ward’ Initiative to combat non-communicable diseases.
Bengaluru: Efforts to transform Bengaluru into the world’s first “Arogya City” have reached a major milestone, with 1.2 million (12 lakh) residents receiving screening, early detection, and preventive healthcare services for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) over the past two years.
The achievement was announced on Friday at the 3rd Edition of the Arogya City Summit 2026, co-hosted by Arogya World and the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC). Between 2024 and 2026, a coalition of 32 organizations collaborated under this banner to tackle lifestyle-related conditions—including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cancer—across the city.
Building on this momentum, the summit marked the official launch of the ‘One Ward’ Initiative. This hyperlocal program is designed to scale up NCD screenings at the municipal ward level while gathering localized health data to strengthen targeted, preventive interventions. For this third phase, the coalition has expanded to 40 participating organizations, setting a collective goal to reach over 1.5 million Bengalureans in the coming year.
“Improving public health cannot be the responsibility of a single institution,” said Dr. Nalini Saligram, Founder and CEO of Arogya World. “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.”
The event also featured an expert panel discussion on the critical role medical professionals play in curbing the rise of NCDs, featuring insights from Dr. Rajani Surendar Bhat (Consultant, Interventional Pulmonology & Palliative Medicine, SPARSH Hospital) and Dr. Arvind Kasthuri (M.D. Community Medicine, St. John’s Medical College & Hospital).
