From Left to Right: Dr. Rajat Jain, President, Doctors For You, Sharad Goswami, Senior Director, International Policy and Communications, Pfizer India, Dr. Rajini M., Director, Health & Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka, Jnanesh Kamat K, Joint Director of Health & Family Welfare Services, Dr. Ravikant Singh, Associate Professor & Officer In-Charge, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Muzaffarpur, Dr. H.L. Vishwanath, Medical Superintendent, Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru, Sneha Senapathi, Head CSR, Pfizer India
- Project AASTHA strengthens patient navigation through treatment guidance, counselling and access to government welfare schemes for people living with cancer and rare diseases.
- In Karnataka, the initiative has supported nearly 60,000 patients, enabling access to treatment and government healthcare funding.
Bengaluru, 09 July 2026: Pfizer today announced that Project AASTHA, under its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, implemented in partnership with Doctors for You (DFY), has reached the milestone of supporting more than 10 lakh patients and caregivers across India since its inception in 2022. The initiative focuses on improving access to care by helping patients navigate the healthcare system, access government welfare schemes, receive counselling and connect with support services throughout their care journey.
The milestone was commemorated at AASTHA CareConnect 2026 in Bengaluru, which brought together senior government officials, healthcare leaders, policymakers, clinicians, patient advocates and development partners to discuss strengthening patient navigation and improving equitable access to care.
As India continues to witness a growing burden of cancer and rare diseases, ensuring timely access to care requires support that extends beyond clinical treatment. Patients and caregivers often face complex healthcare journeys from navigating hospital systems and understanding treatment pathways to accessing government welfare schemes and financial assistance. Recognising these unmet needs, Project AASTHA was established to strengthen patient support by helping individuals and families navigate these complexities and access timely care with greater confidence.
Over the past four years, Project AASTHA has delivered measurable impact by strengthening patient navigation and improving access to care across India. Key milestones include:
- Supported over 10 lakh patients and caregivers, including 9.25 lakh people living with cancer and 75,000 people living with rare diseases.
- Established a network of 15 Cancer Centres of Excellence and five Rare Disease Centres of Excellence to provide patient navigation and support services across hospitals.
- Helped secure financial assistance for more than 29,000 beneficiaries and enabling treatment support for over 33,000 patients.
- Provided specialised support to nearly 8,000, children, including those living with genetic and rare diseases.
In Karnataka too, the programme has made a significant contribution:
- Supported over 59,000 patients through its patient navigation services.
- Facilitated over 38,000 applications for government healthcare funding.
- Enabled treatment support for more than 33,000 patients, improving access to timely care across the state.
Meenakshi Nevatia, Country President, Pfizer India, said, “Project AASTHA is a testament to how timely guidance, counselling and non-medical support can help patients and caregivers navigate a complex treatment journey with confidence and dignity, and I am grateful that we have been able to support more than 10 lakh patients and caregivers in need. We, with our partners Doctors for You, are strengthening our joint commitment to making many more patients get access to early diagnosis and simplified treatment pathways. As we mark over four years of meaningful impact, we are excited to build on our learnings, prioritize the voice of the patient and continue improving access to care across the country.”
Dr. Rajat Jain, President, Doctors for You, said, “We are honoured to hold the AASTHA CareConnect 2026 Forum with Pfizer to celebrate the progress made through Project AASTHA and to collectively shape the next phase of patient navigation in India. Patients and families often need support beyond clinical care, from understanding hospital processes and accessing government schemes to receiving emotional reassurance during treatment. Our discussions centred around innovative strategies to improve continuity of care, and effective utilization of government health and social welfare schemes. We are excited to further scale and strengthen helpdesk-led models to reach more patients.”
Commemorating the impact that Project AASTHA has had, Pfizer and Doctors for You reaffirmed their shared commitment at AASTHA CareConnect 2026 to building an accessible, equitable and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem while strengthening their partnership to improve health outcomes across India.