Urban Innovation in Mumbai’s Slums

Partner Highlight: Working with researchers

Goal: Uncover hidden respiratory illness in high-pollution zones.

Actions: Deployed voice screening; door-to-door outreach.

Impact: Hundreds screened, many referred for continued monitoring.

Rural Empowerment in Maharashtra

Partner Highlight: Collaboration with DigiSwasthya Foundation.

Goal: Detect conditions in high indoor-pollution villages.

Actions: Screened 100+ residents; educated on pollution.

Impact: Free lung checks; referral of high-risk cases.

The Deonar Story: A Community’s Fight for Clean Air

Location: Govandi, Mumbai.

The Problem: Toxic smoke caused chronic issues among residents.

Impact: Coughs & breathlessness reduced after health camp.

Our Action: Partnered with Waatavaran & GNSW Mumbai.

PinkTree & NMIMS Take on Mumbai’s Air Crisis : A Campus Lung Health Initiative

Problem

Mumbai's air quality poses a serious health risk, yet lung health screening is rarely prioritised. On a university campus where students, faculty, and staff spend long hours daily, no preventive lung health monitoring existed. Most individuals ignored early symptoms like cough, fatigue, and reduced stamina, assuming they were normal.

Action

PinkTree Foundation partnered with NMIMS School of Mathematics, Applied Statistics & Analytics to conduct a one-day lung health screening camp on the Mumbai campus. The camp used India's first AI-enabled vocal biomarker test, requiring only a six-second voice recording. The process included three steps: awareness education on air pollution and symptoms, voice-based AI screening, and immediate risk assessment with medical guidance.

Outcome

Seventy-five community members participated, including fifty-three students, five faculty members, and seventeen non-teaching staff.

Key findings:

• 87.7 percent had never tested their lung health before

• 43.3 percent reported reduced stamina during daily activities

• 29.9 percent experienced persistent respiratory symptoms for over two weeks

• 29.9 percent had missed classes or work due to breathing issues

• 47.8 percent faced daily exposure to pollution from smoke, fumes, or dust

All participants received instant risk scores. Those with elevated or high risk were guided to pulmonologists for further evaluation.

Actionable Takeaways

For campuses and workplaces: Make annual AI voice-based lung screening a routine health service. It is non-invasive, instant, and scalable.

For individuals living in polluted cities: Do not ignore a persistent cough or low stamina. Get screened even when feeling healthy. A six-second test can reveal hidden risk.

For administrators: Integrate screening with follow-up care pathways and advocate for better campus air quality.

Conclusion

In a city where ninety percent of residents breathe unsafe air daily, waiting for symptoms to appear before checking lung health is no longer acceptable. The NMIMS-PinkTree Foundation lung health screening camp proved that early detection is possible, simple, and scalable. A six-second voice recording, combined with basic awareness and clear follow-up guidance, can bridge the testing gap that leaves millions unaware of their respiratory risk.

A Community Lung Health Initiative in Nalasopara East X Make A Difference

Title: From Doorstep to Diagnosis – A Community Lung Health Initiative in Nalasopara East

Organization Partners: PinkTree Foundation and Make A Difference (MAD)

Location: Rashid Compound, Dhaniy Baug, Nalasopara East, Mumbai

The Problem

In Mumbai's informal settlements, respiratory symptoms like cough and breathlessness are often seen as normal. Residents accept them as part of daily life rather than treatable conditions. By the time a person reaches an emergency room, irreversible lung damage may have already occurred.

At Rashid Compound, the situation was severe. Open waste burning, factory proximity, daily indoor smoke from mosquito coils and incense, and visible mold on walls created a toxic environment. Yet no systematic lung health screening had ever reached this community.

The Action

PinkTree Foundation partnered with MAD to bring preventive lung health screening directly to the community. PinkTree provided AI-enabled vocal biomarker technology, requiring only a six-second voice sample. MAD provided deep community trust and on-ground mobilization.

The camp combined awareness sessions on air quality and respiratory health with voice-based AI screening and immediate risk feedback. High-risk individuals were guided to nearby chest physicians for follow-up care.

The Impact

Fifty-six community members were screened. Seventy percent received their first-ever lung health status. Eighty-seven percent had never undergone any professional lung check-up before.

Key findings among participants:

• Over 60 percent reported persistent cough, breathlessness, or chest tightness

• 84 percent used mosquito coils or incense daily in poorly ventilated spaces

• 75 percent reported visible mold on walls

• 54 percent smelled burning garbage inside their homes daily

• One in three households reported children frequently falling sick or coughing

High-risk cases were referred to physicians. Elderly residents received their first lung function data after decades of exposure. Children were screened early to prevent chronic conditions from developing.

The Scalable Model

This pilot proved that when cost, distance, and stigma are removed, people choose preventive health. The plan moving forward includes three actions: replicate the partnership in ten more high-risk compounds by 2026, integrate participants into the PinkTree App for ongoing monitoring, and train local youth as Lung Health Champions to sustain awareness.

The Bottom Line

Clean air should not depend on a postal code. Traditional healthcare waits for a crisis. This partnership proved that early detection at the doorstep is possible, scalable, and an act of social justice.