Wheel of Wellness Rolls out Nationwide, Pledges to Protect Women’s Health Data

Bengaluru:  A bold new chapter in women’s healthcare began on August 14 with the launch of the “Wheel of Wellness” — a nationwide preventive health movement committed to empowering women at every stage of life while safeguarding their right to own their personal health data.

Unveiled at the Cutting Edge 2025 congress by ARTIST for Her in partnership with Jhpiego, DOTO Health, and HDR Healthcare Foundation, the initiative will start with a pilot in Karnataka before expanding to thousands of clinics across India.

“Patients will always retain ownership of their medical data,” assured Dr Shantanu Pathak, co-founder of DOTO Health. “We will not monetise or share data without explicit consent. Any research use will require ethics committee clearance, and all records will be anonymised, securely stored in India, and compliant with privacy laws.”

The Wheel of Wellness aims to tackle what organisers call a “severe yet under-recognised” crisis: six in ten Indian women are anaemic, seven in ten have diabetes or hypertension, and four in ten pregnancies are high-risk. Services will include regular screenings, personalised care plans, and Femtech tools such as teleconsultations, point-of-care diagnostics, and digital health records — all delivered through trained, protocol-based clinics.

“This is a movement, not a time-bound project,” said Dr Hema Divakar, founder of ARTIST for Her and Division Director for Well Women Health Care at FIGO. “Our vision is to make Karnataka a role model for the nation.” She added that sustainability will depend on community participation, cost-sharing, and integration with insurance schemes.

Reaching the unreached is central to the plan. ARTIST’s training network already spans over 4,000 hospitals in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, and Manipur, enabling swift outreach to tribal regions, conflict zones, and other underserved communities.

In a major capacity-building push, ARTIST has tied up with Karnataka’s Directorate of Medical Education to embed maternal and child safety into the curriculum of 700 nursing colleges, creating a cadre of frontline “wellness workers”.

Addressing concerns over corporate funding, Dr Divakar cited the Kalaburagi HPV vaccination drive — which exceeded targets fortyfold through grassroots mobilisation — as proof that community-led models can thrive without compromising independence.

Future goals include establishing “wellness villages” where every resident knows their haemoglobin level, has access to nutrition support, and is screened for chronic illnesses. Early pilots in rural Karnataka have already achieved full population coverage in some clusters.

The Cutting Edge 2025 congress also showcased innovations in high-risk pregnancy care, infertility treatment, robotics, and endoscopy, underscoring its role as a national rallying point for advancing women’s health policy and technology.

About ARTIST for Her: Founded in 2005 by Dr Hema Divakar, ARTIST operates across 15 states, combining advanced medical technology with training to transform women’s healthcare in India.