Anusandhan Trust (AT) was established in 1991 to establish and run democratically managed Institutions to undertake research on health and allied themes; provide education and training, and initiate and participate in advocacy efforts on relevant issues concerned with the well being of the disadvantaged and the poor in collaboration with organizations and individuals working with and for such people.
Social relevance, ethics, democracy and accountability are the four operative principles that drive and underpin the activities of Anusandhan Trust’s institutions with high professional standards and commitment to underprivileged people and their organizations. The institutions of the Trust are organised around either specific activity (research, action, services and /or advocacy) or theme (health services and financing, ethics, primary healthcare, women and health, etc.); and each institution has its specific goal and set of activities to advance the vision of the Trust.
CEHAT (Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes) the earliest of the three institutions established in 1994 concentrates or focuses on its core area of strength – social and public health research and policy advocacy.
SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training in Health Initiatives) The Pune-based centre of Anusandhan Trust has been undertaking work at the community level in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and also facilitates a national campaign on Right to Health and other related issues.
CSER (Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights) : The Trust promoted work on bioethics/medical ethics from the very beginning. The Trust decided to establish a long-term focused programme on ethics under a separate centre. This centre began functioning from January 2005 in Mumbai.
The Board of Trustees at a Special Meeting of the Trust held on May 11, 2013, decided to change the structure of CSER from an independent Centre to a programme, Research Programme on Ethics, directly under the Trust.
This structural change applies only to CSER. CEHAT and SATHI continue as autonomous Centres.
The decision of the Trust on the redefinition of CSER has been taken on the count of the sustainability of an independent Centre for this work. The structural change means that CSER now no longer has a separate identity and does not exist as autonomous Centre. The coordination of its current tasks lies with the Managing Trustee in the interim. The Trust ensures the discharge of all current commitments of CSER.
A Research Programme on Ethics has been formed under the Trust facilitated by a Committee constituted by the Trust responsible to the Managing Trustee. The Committee may decide to pursue work broadly along the same lines as carried out so far, or redefine the scope of work within the broad parameters.
This decision of the Trust in no way reflects upon and nor is prejudicial to the academic and other work of CSER and its staff.
Vision: They envision a society which has eliminated health inequities by minimizing the social and economic disparities ad has realized its right to health and health care; and where universal access to social security which is equitable, ethical and socially just and accountable and responsive to the needs of the people is established.
Mission: To promote activities and institutions that undertake, within a human rights framework, research, advocacy, services, training and activities (RASTA) in arenas that lead to strengthening of human development and social security, especially in areas of public health policy, health rights, health systems and financing, and other economic, social and cultural rights in partnership and involvement of people in its oversight and monitoring towards realizing universal and equitable access.
