South Asian Health and Wellness Strategy launched by Indus Community
Services and Punjabi Community Health Services at combined Annual
General Meeting.
MISSISSAUGA, June 27, 2019 – Indus Community Services (Indus),
Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) and Seva Food Bank (Seva)
held their Annual General Meetings together as a demonstration of
community unity at a well-attended function in Mississauga. The Boards
of Directors were joined by Agency Members, Funders, Partners,
Volunteers and Staff.
Baldev Mutta, Chief Operating Officer of PCHS welcomed the guests and
congratulated the community for working together. He said, “We wanted
to be able to clearly demonstrate to all our stakeholders including our
service communities and supporters that we are jointly committed to
further improving and expanding services in a cooperative and deliberate
manner.”
Rasheeda Qureshi, Executive Director of Seva, underlined the importance
of supporting the most vulnerable in our communities and that the best
way to do so was in a mutually respectful partnership that promoted
Seva’s core beliefs, “The Wellbeing of All through Selfless Service and
with Eternal Optimism.”
Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO of Indus, introduced the jointly created South
Asian Health and Wellness Strategy that aims to improve health outcomes
for the 1.2 million South Asians living in Ontario.
In this strategy, which is now available on each agency’s websites, you
will find academically sourced information that points out that South
Asians are genetically predisposed to Diabetes and Cardio-Vascular
disease; that South Asians have lower Cancer screening and organ
donation rates and that the social determinants of Health
disproportionately affect the community. In addition, the lack of
culturally appropriate services in Mental Health, Addictions, Long Term
Care and Family Supports around Domestic Violence, Transitional Aged
Youth and Isolated Seniors points to a growing and often ignored need to
provide supports to these hard working taxpayers.
Malhotra added, “Given that South Asian’s represent 9% of the Provincial
population, I would suggest that we should receive many hundreds of
millions of our tax dollars back in the form of improved services. This is
the point we have been making to our governments, their bureaucrats
and officials.”
Indus, PCHS and Seva recognized their networking partners, funders and
volunteers for their ongoing support and commitment to our
communities and clients.