Smile Foundation will partner SBI Card, as the letter supports and strengthens healthcare systems. Their partnership would aim to benefit 171,288 people in the Aspirational District of Mewat, Haryana

19 May 2021, Mewat, Haryana:  As the country battles the second COVID wave, it needs to rapidly strengthen its healthcare infrastructure which has been tested to the hilt. The number of active Covid cases and the death toll have made India the second-worst affected country.[1] To address the situation at grassroots level, the entire healthcare system is now focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and containment of the COVID-19 infection.

In a bid to contribute in containing the impact of the pandemic, Smile foundation has joined hands with SBI Card to setup Telemedicine Units at government recommended sub-centers to make quality healthcare services accessible in Mewat district of Haryana. Mewat is Haryana’s only district to figure in NITI Aayog’s list of 111 most-backward districts – aspirational districts of India.

Speaking about the need for such health centres, Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder, and Executive Trustee, Smile Foundation said, “With the help of this project, we aim to strengthen the healthcare system to bridge the gap in primary services amid Covid-19 pandemic to reduce patient load at secondary and tertiary government facilities. We also aim to build a robust system for community screening of Covid-19 patients and streamlining need-based referrals to manage the spread of the pandemic. This way we will be able to nip the virus in the bud, preventing its spread.”

Speaking about the partnership, Mr/Ms XYZ (Title) SBI Card Ltd. said, “We are pleased to partner with Smile Foundation in converting Sub-centers to Model Health Centers in Haryana. We believe this is a step in the right direction and Mewat will be a model district for other Indian states to follow. States like Haryana which have a wide carpet area but sparse population and low population density, require the availability of quality health services in remote locations. These model health centers will give telemedicine access to patients, ensuring health services to the remotest beneficiary.”

The project aims to benefit 171,288 people in Mewat, Haryana and will be implemented over 24 months, split in pre-operational activities of 3 months, followed by 21 months of operational activity. The pre-operational activities include identification of sub-centers, procurement of equipment and medicines, rrecruitment of project staff for telemedicine units, community mobilization and awareness activities as well as training of staff.

Post this phase, operational activities will include setting up of telemedicine units, which would provide services like screening of patients, disbursal of medicines, rapid tests, referral, BCC activities, coordination with CHW, and ANC & PNC care, regular community mobilization, networking and liaising with government health departments and  local government healthcare institutions as well as data collection and monitoring.

Besides this initiative, Smile Foundation is mustering support to provide 100 Covid-Care Centers and government health institutions oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, BiPAP machines, PPE Kits, sanitizers, oximeters, thermal scanners & masks. It aims to create 100 Oxygen Banks across the country.

Through its Health Cannot Wait campaign, Smile Foundation has provided over 80,000 protective gear to frontline health workers, so far and aims to provide 1 million protective gear to frontline health workers. As part of this campaign, so far, over 2, 00,000 hygiene kits have been provided to vulnerable communities, and the target is to provide 500,000 hygiene kits to underprivileged families.

About Smile Foundation:

Smile Foundation, is an NGO in India directly benefitting over 15,00,000 children and their families every year, through more than 400 live welfare projects on education for poor children, healthcare, livelihood and women empowerment, in over 2000 remote villages and slums across 25 states of India. Adopting a life cycle approach of development, Smile Foundation focuses its interventions on children, their families, and the community.

Media Contact:
Sreeparna Chakrabarty: [email protected]. | 9811502059
Website: http://www.smilefoundationindia.org/