HYDERABAD: In 2007, a simple act of compassion set the stage for one of Hyderabad and state’s most impactful health-focused non-profit organisations. Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), which now supports over 15 lakh people annually, wasn’t born of a plan — it emerged from a moment of urgency.
A year earlier, Mujtaba Hasan Askari, then a senior IT professional at Infosys and volunteer with its CSR initiative ‘Mamta’, had come across a desperate case: a plumber’s son needed urgent brain surgery that cost `1.5 lakh. Askari emailed his office network asking for help. The response was overwhelming. Nearly `7 lakh poured in. “That moment gave me hope,” he tells TNIE. “It showed me how much people care, and what we can achieve together.”
Moved by the generosity and the scale of need it revealed, Askari began volunteering over weekends from his brother’s ad agency office. Word spread. People from across Hyderabad and nearby districts came seeking help. Within months, queues formed. By 2007, HHF was formally registered as a charitable trust.
Initially, HHF raised funds to cover medical costs for underprivileged patients. But as demand exploded, it became clear the model wouldn’t last. “It wasn’t sustainable,” Askari says. “We needed a better way.”
The shift came with a simple insight: instead of paying private hospital bills, HHF would help patients access what was already available to them in government hospitals. The foundation began setting up “health desks” within public hospitals. Staffed by trained volunteers, these desks helped patients navigate the often-overwhelming system: explaining procedures, arranging admissions, securing beds or even locating a stretcher.
“Government hospitals are busy and understaffed. For a poor patient walking in, it can feel like nobody cares. Our team becomes the face of the hospital for them,” he says.
Today, HHF runs help desks in over a dozen public hospitals in Hyderabad, with plans to expand to Warangal, Khammam and Nalgonda.
A leap of faith
In 2014, after years of juggling his corporate career and social work, Askari quit Infosys to devote himself fully to HHF. “It wasn’t easy, but I knew where I wanted to be,” he remarks. “This work gave my life a deeper meaning.”
The foundation’s mission sharpened: make healthcare accessible and affordable for the most vulnerable. HHF identified underserved urban areas, especially migrant worker-dominated slums, and began setting up primary clinics. Today, 17 such centres offer free consultations, diagnostics and medicines.
“Where government services are missing, we step in. Where they exist, we support, not duplicate,” he explains.
Over time, HHF plugged other critical gaps: a free dialysis centre with zero wait time for young patients, a 35-bed rehab centre, and a 50-bed general care facility. Mobile and static clinics for blood pressure and sugar testing now operate in high-risk areas. During mosquito season, HHF runs fever clinics to detect dengue and chikungunya early, while volunteers distribute repellents and nets.
At HHF-run centres, doctors offer direct care. In government hospitals, the team sticks to facilitation. Transparency and ethics, Askari insists, are non-negotiable. “There’s a lot of corruption in healthcare. But we hold our team to high standards,” he says. “Many of our staff are TB or AIDS survivors. They know suffering and choose to serve.”
HHF’s 400-strong team includes many trained community health workers drawn from the very neighbourhoods they support. All undergo rigorous training, grounded in both skill and empathy.
Covid: The real test
During the Covid-19 pandemic, HHF’s role expanded dramatically. The organisation delivered oxygen cylinders to homes, set up help desks in hospitals, ran ambulances, and fed thousands of stranded migrant families. They even launched Hyderabad’s only free funeral service for unclaimed victims, regardless of religion, and converted a senior citizen home into a 30-bed isolation centre. Their selfless efforts drew international attention, with coverage from the BBC and Al Jazeera.
Though rooted in healthcare, HHF couldn’t ignore another growing crisis: school dropouts. In slum communities, child labour and domestic violence often force children, especially girls, out of classrooms.
“Mothers at our clinics kept asking for help with their children’s education,” shares Askari. That led to the creation of the Bridge School in Chandrayangutta, a free, safe learning space for dropouts.
All of HHF’s interventions are data-driven, designed around local need. Screening and follow-up services for breast, cervical and oral cancers connect patients to government treatment systems. TB patients are given monthly nutritional and livelihood support to help them complete long-term treatment.
Despite the sights on the future, the goal for Askari remains unchanged: fill the gaps, strengthen public systems, and take healthcare where it’s needed most.
‘An hour a week, an impact of a lifetime’
HHF welcomes volunteers, especially youth and professionals. From helping in hospitals to organising cleanliness drives or health awareness sessions, there’s room for all. “Even an hour a week can change lives,” Askari says. “What began as one small act of kindness has now touched millions. Anyone can be part of that journey.”
Bridging gaps
Over the years, the HHF has set up
A free dialysis centre for young working-class patients, with zero wait time.
A 35-bed rehabilitation centre and a 50-bed general care facility.
Mobile and static BP and sugar clinics in high-risk areas.
Fever clinics during mosquito season to detect dengue and chikungunya early.