Ahmedabad, Nov 05: Ingersoll Rand, in partnership with Smile Foundation, has successfully completed a year of the ‘Smile on Wheels’ mobile hospital programme, reaching 15,287 beneficiaries across Ahmedabad between April 2025 and March 2026 and surpassing its annual target of 15,000.
The programme, titled ‘Increasing Access to Quality Primary Healthcare Services’, conducted 235 outpatient clinics across 19 service points in seven underserved areas of Ahmedabad, bringing primary healthcare directly to communities where distance, cost and loss of daily wages can often prevent timely access to medical care. The mobile unit provided consultations, diagnostic services, medicines and health counselling, serving as a last-mile healthcare solution for low-income communities and informal settlements.
“This programme is about meeting people where they are, quite literally. By bringing healthcare closer to underserved communities, we are helping remove some of the barriers that can prevent families from seeking timely medical attention. The strong response to Smile on Wheels reinforces the importance of accessible and consistent community healthcare,” said Mr. Sunil Khanduja, Chairman & Managing Director at Ingersoll Rand.
“Consistency is key to building trust in the communities. Smile on Wheels has become a dependable source of care for families, particularly women and children. In addition, the programme has been able to support and complement the governmental efforts and missions in taking healthcare to people’s doorsteps,” said Mr. Sanjeev Dham, Executive Director, Smile Foundation.
Of the 15,287 beneficiaries, 6,574 were women (43%), 5,183 men (34%) and 3,530 children (23%). The strong participation of women highlights the importance of doorstep healthcare for those who may face additional challenges in taking time away from work and household responsibilities to seek medical care.
The mobile unit also conducted 2,324 point-of-care diagnostic tests, including blood glucose and hemoglobin screenings. The most commonly treated conditions were cough and cold (20%), joint and body pain (17%) and anaemia-related weakness (13%), alongside the distribution of free medicines and health counselling.
The programme operated through a fixed weekly roster across 19 service points in seven areas, including Idgah and Kolsa nu Delu, Asarwa Railway Crossing to Kalupur Bridge, Chamanpura and Naroda. The consistent schedule has helped build trust and encouraged families to incorporate the mobile clinic into their regular healthcare routine.
The programme maintained steady outreach throughout the year, with its strongest performance recorded in January–March 2026, when 56 OPDs reached 4,386 beneficiaries. This took the full-year outreach beyond the programme’s target of 15,000.
Beyond regular OPDs, the programme conducted three special eye-screening camps at Muthiya and the Ingersoll Rand plant, reaching 1,197 people. The camps provided 1,125 pairs of free spectacles based on individual prescriptions and identified 34 cataract cases, who were referred for further treatment. Nearly three-fourths of the spectacles distributed were for near-vision correction, reflecting the needs of communities engaged in close-up manual and domestic work.
With the programme exceeding its annual outreach target, Ingersoll Rand and Smile Foundation remain committed to continuing the mobile healthcare initiative across focused communities in Ahmedabad, strengthening access to affordable and essential primary healthcare services.
