Gadchiroli Sept. 23 (District Correspondent) The prestigious Goalkeepers Champions Award of the Gates Foundation, led by Bill Gates, was presented today to Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, founders of SEARCH. At the ceremony held in New York, SEARCH was represented by Joint Director Dr. Anand Bang. Along with SEARCH, ten organizations worldwide were honored with this award, while the President of Spain received the Global Goalkeeper Award.
This recognition acknowledges the innovative public health initiatives of Dr. Abhay and Dr. Rani Bang, especially their work in preventing child mortality. The Gates Foundation organizes the Goalkeepers Event every year. During the event, Bill Gates announced the commitment to save millions of children’s lives worldwide by 2045.
Bill Gates said, “By 2045, the responsibility to prevent millions of child deaths and eliminate some deadly diseases is enormous, and humanity stands at a critical juncture. Whether we accept cuts in health funding or ensure that children receive their rightful chance at a good life will decide the future we build for the next generation.”
In 2000, around one million child deaths occurred worldwide; today, that number has fallen to around 500,000 — a significant achievement. But Gates warned that if health funding is reduced, this progress could reverse. “Children’s health is in a more precarious condition than people realize. But the future is brighter than we think,” he said.
Dr. Abhay Bang celebrated his 75th birthday today, September 23, the very day this global honour was given. SEARCH pioneered programs to train rural women in pneumonia treatment and newborn care, reducing infant mortality from 121 to just 16 per 1,000 live births. Inspired by this model, the Government of India launched the ASHA program in 2005. Today, over one million ASHA workers provide healthcare to 15 million newborns annually across the country. Dr. Bang’s approach has now been adopted in more than 80 countries worldwide.
