Our Journey

The conceptualization of Unison Medicare dates back to over 10 years before its actual birth in 1995. Working at the government-run J J Hospital in Mumbai from 1981 to 1991 in the Department of Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), made Dr Ishwar Gilada extremely astute in diagnosing and managing STDs early on in his career. But what struck him very hard was the lack of privacy, confidentiality, courtesy and humanistic care. He founded the People’s Health Organisation (India; formerly called Indian Health Organisation)- a premier NGO that spearheaded the HIV awareness campaign in the country since 1985. Having diagnosed one of the first few cases of HIV in the country, he started India’s first AIDS Clinic on 5^th March 1986 in JJ Hospital. With the existing societal attitude and health care practices being tainted with ridicule, un-empathetic dialogues and stigma, he had already started visualizing an ideal place that would offer non-discriminatory patient care to individuals regardless of their history or diagnosis. Over the next few years, he continued treating STDs and HIV, gaining expertise in counselling skills, training medical caregivers, playing an advocacy role, creating larger public awareness and running intervention projects among people with high-risk behaviours.