Global healthcare enterprise Bayer has collaborated with RxDx Healthcare and Piramal Swasthya to set up 27 telemedicine centres across 8 states in the country towards making quality healthcare accessible.
Aimed at also building local health capacities, the centres will be set up over the next two years through Bayer Foundation India. As part of the programme to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions, telehealth facilities will be set up in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to provide awareness sessions on nutrition, health and hygiene. Awareness on health aspects like diabetes, dermatology and breast cancer through medical camps will also be conducted.
Speaking on the launch, D Narain, President, South Asia and Global head of Smallholder Farming, Bayer said that we hope to provide comprehensive telemedicine solutions for local communities with this project and develop the healthcare infrastructure in the identified locations Telemedicine centres will allow local communities to access quality healthcare in their vicinity without having to travel long distances.
The partnerships with RxDx Healthcare and Piramal Swasthya will help setting up of telemedicine centres under a unique Hub and spoke (nodal) model. RxDx Healthcare with its telemedicine command centre in Bengaluru will cater to 14 PHCs in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. RxDx Healthcare is a Bengaluru-based NABH-NABL accredited Multispeciality Healthcare chain which brings healthcare at home for patients.
Piramal Swasthya will cater to 13 centres across the states of UP, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand through its hub in Ranchi. The public health arm of Piramal Foundation, Piramal Swasthya focuses on Maternal Health, Child and Adolescent Health, and Non-Communicable Diseases.Each nodal point will be equipped with an Auxillary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) or General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) to facilitate telemedicine consultations with doctors at the hub. Senior general physicians and specialist doctors will be deputed at each hub.
Talking about the initiative, Dr. Sunita Maheshwari, trustee of Telerad Foundation and Founder of RxDx Healthcare said, “The ‘Phygital’ PHCs aims to contribute to the spirit of “One India, one Health”, call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to expand the essential health facilities of PHCs at block and village level by making free specialist consultation services, point-of-care testing, vitals screening and medication distribution available to rural communities.
Ishmeet Singh, Head, Tech Interventions, Piramal Foundation said that telemedicine service will not only bring health services to the doorstep of beneficiaries and reduce the load on the health system in line with Prime Minister’s vision of digitization of health services. This will also bring down pocket expenses for beneficiaries in the states of UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. In line with the Piramal Swasthya’s promise, this telemedicine service also supplements and complements the government initiative of Universal Health Coverage for all.“Presently Piramal Swasthya is operating over 180 telemedicine centres across three states in India,” he informed.
Bayer plans to launch a total of 27 Telemedicine centres in 12 aspirational districts across 8 states over the next two years. Each centre is expected to cater to at least 25-35 villages, and cover between 35,000 to 50,000 beneficiaries.
