Rajeshree Chatterjee

Indian social entrepreneur revolutionizing maternal healthcare through grassroots innovation

Rajeshree Chatterjee is a visionary leader who transformed maternal and child healthcare in India through her organization Sneha. Born in 1968, she began her advocacy work in the 1990s, addressing the high maternal mortality rates in Mumbai's slums. Her innovative approach combines clinical care with community engagement, creating sustainable solutions that have saved thousands of lives.

Chatterjee pioneered the Community Health Worker model in 1999, training local women as health educators. These workers now serve over 500,000 households, providing antenatal care and emergency referrals. Her Safe Motherhood Initiative (2002) reduced maternal deaths in Mumbai's Dharavi slum by 60% through early detection programs. She also introduced India's first Neonatal Care Units in rural clinics, saving 10,000 newborn lives annually.

In 2015, she launched the Mobile Health Unit project, using converted buses to provide prenatal care to remote tribal regions. Her book Breaking Barriers: A Journey to Empower India's Mothers (available here) details her strategies for scaling healthcare access. Chatterjee's work has inspired similar programs in Bangladesh and Nepal, earning her the World Health Organization's Global Health Leadership Award in 2018.

Her Girl Child Empowerment Program (2020) addresses gender-based violence and child marriage, educating 200,000 girls annually. Chatterjee's emphasis on data-driven solutions led to the creation of HealthTrack, a mobile app used by 15,000+ health workers nationwide. Her TED Talk here highlights her belief that 'healthcare is a right, not a privilege.'