What we do

At mass medical mission (m3), we are dedicated to the full spectrum of preventive healthcare—also known as community medicine. We go beyond basic awareness, addressing all five levels of prevention—from stopping risk factors before they emerge to protecting people from the harms of over-medicalisation:

1. Primordial Prevention

We tackle the root causes of ill health—social, economic, environmental, and cultural conditions—before risk factors even appear in communities. This foundational work creates healthier environments for future generations.

2. Primary Prevention

We stop disease before it starts through:

• Health promotion — empowering individuals and communities with knowledge and tools to adopt healthier lifestyles. Our core approach is community-based health education, delivered through both traditional and new media).
• Specific protection — delivering vaccinations and other measures to shield people from preventable threats.

3. Secondary Prevention

We focus on early detection and prompt intervention to halt disease progression:

• Early diagnosis — through community screening programmes, either mass screening or targeted screening for high-risk groups.
• Timely treatment — ensuring prompt access to care that prevents irreversible damage, including on-the-spot treatment for conditions such as precancerous cervical lesions.

4. Tertiary Prevention

When disease has already caused harm, we help limit disability and restore quality of life through:

• Disability limitation — preventing complications to prolong meaningful life.
• Comprehensive rehabilitation — medical, vocational, social, and psychological recovery so individuals can thrive again.

5. Quaternary Prevention

We safeguard against unnecessary, excessive, or otherwise ill-advised medical interventions—including overdiagnosis, overtreatment, cascade effects, disease mongering, and iatrogenesis—through:

• Narrative-based medicine — listening deeply to patients and adapting care to individual needs and wants.
• Evidence-based medicine — rigorous debriefing, quality assurance, multidisciplinary analysis, and continuous improvement to ensure every intervention is safe, relevant, and adds value.

Our Approach in Action: The Cancer Fulcrum

Cancer prevention serves as the strategic hub of all m3 programmes. Because cancer shares risk factors with many other major diseases (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and more), tackling cancer provides a practical fulcrum to uplift the entire health ecosystem. This framework comes alive through our free outreach programmes, targeted primarily at the poor and underserved.

Our Free Community Outreaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key components include:

• Mission PinkCruise — Free community-based preventive cancer care and health promotion via our Mobile Health Centre (the PinkCruise). Learn more: pinkcruise.org
• Mission PinkVISSION — Integrated preventive eye care outreach using our Mobile Eye Unit (the PinkVISSION). Learn more: pinkvission.org
• Mission PinkDentist — Integrated preventive dental care and oral health promotion through our dedicated unit, the PinkDentist. Learn more: massmedicalmission.org/pinkdentist