Category: Health

Commercial vehicle financer Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) on Tuesday said it has partnered with Skill India to train 1000 drivers to ensure seamless and accident free transportation of oxygen tankers. With an objective to streamline Liquid Medical Oxygen

Commercial vehicle financer Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) on Tuesday said it has partnered with Skill India to train 1000 drivers to ensure seamless and accident free transportation of oxygen tankers.

With an objective to streamline Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tankers supply chain amidst the pandemic, STFC has launched a CSR initiative — Shriram Seva Sankalp LMO Driver Training. The campaign aims to upskill 1000 experienced heavy and medium vehicles drivers to carefully handle and transport Cryogenic LMO Tankers.

According to STFC, over 500 drivers have successfully completed their training in January 2022, the company aims to certify the remaining 500 drivers by March 2022.

The shortlisting of experienced heavy motor vehicles (HMV) drivers to enroll for the capacity building training program was conducted at the approved training centers funded by STFC at multiple locations including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

The Holistic Cryogenic Medical Oxygen Tanker Driver Training Program will offer the trainees a deep-dive into the theory, hands-on practice on simulators, handling of hazardous cargo tanker and in-plant LMO loading and unloading along with all other safety precautions to be taken.

This will help in creating a pool of skilled drivers to transport cryogenic medical oxygen tankers owing to its growing significance in medical management of COVID-19 across hospitals.

Post the successful completion of the training program, the drivers will be awarded with a certification by the Logistics Skill Council.

Speaking about the initiative, STFC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Umesh Revankar said: “The need for skilled drivers to operate oxygen tankers was felt in 2021 owing to the acute shortage of oxygen in the country.”

As India braces towards meeting challenges of the third wave of the pandemic, Revankar said the company’s endeavor is to once again provide continuous support to the society.

“Thus, we have stepped up to the opportunity and decided to work together with the government to avert a similar situation in the future,” he said.

Since the start of the CSR training program, over 10,000 candidates have been trained to drive heavy and light motor vehicles with ease, he added.

Skill India is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2015 with an aim to train Indians in different industry-related jobs. The Ministry is responsible for coordination of all Skill Development efforts across the country, removal of disconnect between demand and supply of skilled manpower, and building the vocational and technical training framework.

STFC through its partner DB Skills is working in collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to upskill drivers.

Recently, STFC Ltd had also organized a vaccination campaign for truck drivers titled ‘Highway Heroes’ in collaboration with TV9 Network and Apollo Hospitals.

The month-long campaign initiated to vaccinate 6000 drivers was inaugurated in Chennai and executed in transportation hubs in five cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Nalagarh, Kolkata and Dharuhera.

Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place

Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place.

A collaboration has been formed with the district administration in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The doctors who would help treat patients at these designated locations are Tau Devilal Stadium, Gurugram, Public Hospital, Lucknow, Patliputra Stadium, Patna, SRA, Mumbai and KPCL Hospital, Bangalore.

The intervention encompasses strengthening the health institutions with the required infrastructure, expert workforce, and other essential resources. This includes providing health establishments with necessary facilities, including HDU and oxygen beds. The current staffing is equipped to handle Pediatric cases, which are the critical concern under Omicron pandemic spread.

Talking about this initiative, Sandeep Nailwal, Founder of Crypto Relief, said, “Amid 3rd wave of COVID, we are closely working with the group of health institutions to provide healthcare needs during this surge. The infrastructure provided by CRF will help with quality healthcare services and aid relief from the major health crisis.”

In addition, Nailwal’s Crypto Relief fund was instrumental in building rural and tribal district’s capacity in 6 districts for the COVID current wave, where far-flung communities such as Pulwama, tribal areas such as Lasadiya and aspirational districts such as Nuh have been provided necessary medical capital equipment, medical personnel and capacity building to support healthcare services to impact health outcomes directly and additionally adding 500 more COVID beds in remote Areas.

MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially

MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially.

Dr Sushil Shah, Metropolis Chairman, had floated the idea in 2018 and is aimed to be a holistic academic program for medical students that includes Scholarship, Observership, Academic Research discounts, and certificate courses.

Since its inception, over 500 institutes have reached and registered with the MedEngage program for several of its initiatives. More than 5000 students registered for Observership, academic research, and several courses that MedEngage offers.

Metropolis has successfully conducted the scholarship program for two consecutive years and has awarded more than100 students with scholarships worth up to 50 lakhs. This year 2022, it intends to reward 150 students from across India through this scholarship program.

The students can log on to www.med-engage.com to register and apply for the program. The applications will be checked by an eminent panel of jury members, predominantly from the healthcare fraternity and external bodies. The winners will be announced in February 2022, followed by a felicitation ceremony held in April 2022.

Building on its global expertise in the nutrition and wellness domain, Amway India, one of the country’s leading FMCG direct selling companies, celebrated World Health Day with a national webinar on building a better tomorrow with a focus on nutrition in children

Building on its global expertise in the nutrition and wellness domain, Amway India, one of the country’s leading FMCG direct selling companies, celebrated World Health Day with a national webinar on building a better tomorrow with a focus on nutrition in children. Organized in association with its NGO partner SRF Foundation, the virtual platform brought together policy experts, subject-matter experts, and industry leaders to discuss current challenges and opportunities in improving nutrition and health amongst children, especially those under 5.

As per the latest National Family Health Survey (NHFS), 18 of the 22 states and Union Territories (UTs) have recorded an alarming rise in the malnutrition condition of children under five. While each of the surveyed states and UTs reported 22 per cent or more stunted children, at least eight out of 342 surveyed districts registered more than 50 per cent prevalence of child stunting. Deliberating on such critical issues and the need to address inequities in access to health and nutrition, present at the conference were Ms Jyotika Kalra, Member, National Human Rights Commission, Mrs Rajbala Kataria, Joint Director, Women and Child Development Department, Haryana, Dr Sujeet Ranjan, Executive Director, The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CFNS), Mr Ajay Khanna, Chief Marketing Officer, Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, Dr Sirimavo Nair, Professor in Foods and Nutrition, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Mr Basant Kumar Dube, District Immunization and Child Health Officer, Nuh and Dr Y. Suresh Reddy, Director, SRF Foundation.

Speaking at the conference, Ajay Khanna, Chief Marketing Officer Amway India said, “The WHO theme* of World Health Day 2021 of building a fairer, healthier world is a clarion call to strengthen action in the best possible way to make lives healthier and better for every child in the country. Amway India is one of the foremost proponents of holistic nutrition and wellness. With our vision of helping people live better, healthier lives, we endeavour to make a tangible societal impact through multiple social initiatives. Aligned with the Government of India’s National Nutrition Mission, Amway had introduced its globally acclaimed campaign, ‘Power of 5’ aimed to raise awareness on the issue of childhood malnutrition and bring in the much-needed behavioural shift among mothers and communities at large. Leveraging the success of our pilot project in Kirari Village, New Delhi, we are launching the second phase of this project with SRF Foundation in Nuh district, Haryana. Under this two-year program, we intend to benefit over 51,000 people including 15,000 children in the age group of 0-8 years. I truly believe that with similar meaningful partnerships and collaborations, we can achieve the vision of a healthy India.”

Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University

Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) in Korea to create medical devices that screen for eye disease by upcycling Galaxy smartphones that are no longer of use. This Galaxy Upcycling program is helping to address approximately 1 billion global cases of vision impairment that are preventable with a proper diagnosis.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people have a form of vision impairment and almost half of these cases were preventable or have yet to be addressed. There is a large disparity in the prevalence of vision impairment depending on the affordability and availability of eye care services. This is estimated to be four times more common in low- and middle-income regions as compared to high-income regions.

“People around the globe face barriers to accessing fundamental health care, and we saw an opportunity to engineer smart, innovative solutions that reuse products to drive more sustainable practices and make a positive impact in our communities,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This program embodies Samsung’s belief that technology can enrich people’s lives and help us build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”

In 2017, Samsung created the Galaxy Upcycling program to introduce innovative ways that Galaxy devices can make a positive impact. Through the program, an older Galaxy smartphone can become the brain of the EYELIKE™ handheld fundus camera, which connects to a lens attachment for enhanced fundus diagnosis, while the smartphone is used to capture images. The Galaxy device then utilizes an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze and diagnose the images for ophthalmic diseases and connects to an app that accurately captures patient data and suggests a treatment regimen at a fraction of the cost of commercial instruments. The unique and affordable diagnosis camera can screen patients for conditions that may lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

“We were looking for an eye health diagnosis solution that was cost-effective to reach as many people as possible, and when we saw the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, we wanted to integrate their upcycling efforts into our research,” said Dr Sangchul Yoon of Yonsei University Health System. “The combination of using multiple optical technologies and artificial intelligence, coupled with camera performance of a Galaxy smartphone, created an affordable medical device that was just as capable as a fundus camera used by medical professionals. This not only solved a health issue but a growing environmental concern as well.”

Since 2018, Samsung has partnered with IAPB and Yonsei University Health System to benefit the lives and vision of more than 19,000 residents in Vietnam with its portable retinal camera. In 2019 alone, it supplied 90 portable ophthalmoscopes to health professionals operating in remote regions of the country without access to walk-in clinics. Now, Samsung has expanded the program to India, Morocco and Papua New Guinea. Samsung is also broadening its capabilities to new screening areas, including using upcycled Galaxy devices to create smartphone-based portable colposcopes to screen for cervical cancer and improve women’s access to quality health care.

SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives

SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives of thousands of girl students.

Under the CSR project, SBI General has funded the construction of 15‘safe space’ restrooms for girls around schools in rural districts of Maharashtra. These restrooms along with the 5 built last year will be used by over 10,000 girls in the coming five years. This will have a two-fold impact: not only will it create a sense of ownership and qualitative change in their hygiene habits, but also increase the attendance of girls at the schools thereby enabling them to complete their education. In addition to this, special workshops on hygiene and sanitation were also conducted for the girls. Going forward, the goal for SBI General and Learning Space Foundation is to ensure that every school in rural Maharashtra has a safe space restroom. SBI General Insurance has partnered with Palghar based NGO, Learning Space Foundation (LSF) for this project.

Shefali Khalsa, Head – Brand & Corporate Communication, SBI General Insurance said, “At SBIG, we follow a defined CSR strategy which focuses on various areas and segments. One of the key focus areas is education for the underprivileged. Contributing to this area aiming at girl students’ education, hygiene and wellbeing, we had initiated this project. In this region, what really stood out to us was the very high school drop-out rates of adolescent girls from agricultural and tribal communities. One of the main reasons for drop-out was the lack of sanitation facilities at Zilla Parishad Schools”.

She added, “We are hopeful that our contribution and this CSR initiative will support some bit of drop-outs and will enable girl students to continue their education.”

Besides giving access to sanitation facilities, through partnership, the girl students were also trained and encouraged to embrace menstrual hygiene practices.

Addressing the nation from ramparts of Red Fort on 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said three corona vaccines are in various stages of trial in India and a large-scale production will begin after getting nod from scientists

Addressing the nation from ramparts of Red Fort on 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said three corona vaccines are in various stages of trial in India and a large-scale production will begin after getting nod from scientists.

The roadmap to bring corona vaccine to all Indians in shortest possible time is also ready, he said and hailed ‘corona warriors’.

“Everyone has one question, when will corona vaccine be ready? This question is there in the hearts of everyone across the world. But I want to tell you, our scientists are working hard like ‘rishi muni’ (saints) in the labs ,” Modi said.

“In India, not one or two but three vaccines are in various stages of trial. Large scale production will begin after getting approval from our scientists. The preparation for this is fully ready,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said a roadmap to bring corona vaccine to all Indians in shortest possible time is also ready.

“We are going through a unique situation because of coronavirus pandemic. ..We will achieve victory over coronavirus with resolve of people of country,” he added.

India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed 24 lakh on August 14 after 64,553 more people tested positive and the recoveries rose to over 17 lakh, according to the Health Ministry.

Hyderabad-based BBG Foundation, a CSR arm of south India’s land developer Building Blocks Group (BBG), today said it has donated face masks and hand sanitizer to vulnerable people in 45 villages

Hyderabad-based BBG Foundation, a CSR arm of south India’s land developer Building Blocks Group (BBG), today said it has donated face masks and hand sanitizer to vulnerable people in 45 villages.

As many people lost their jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Foundation has also created livelihood to Self Help Groups (SHG) in the villages by ordering masks, it said in a statement.

For instance, the Foundation was able to ensure remuneration of about Rs 15,000 to each members of Sri Anjaneyam Self Help Group (SHG) belonging to Sri Sai Village Organization (VO) that was engaged in stitching masks.

Sanitizer was also provided to all Anganwadi Centers. ANM sub-centers too were provided with the sanitizer bottles by the foundation.

BBG Managing Director and the Foundation Chairman Mallikarjun Reddy said that the company believes in adding value and giving back to the society. “We presume contributing to society is an extension of our core practices,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Foundation has collaborated with ANM, ASHA workers and Anganwadi teachers to help people during the COVID-19.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months.

The Centre which has been operational since April 3, 2020 is one of the first such centres in Uttar Pradesh and has played a critical role in responding to citizen queries in the wake of the pandemic, the company said in a statement.

HCL set up the “all in one” control room, reachable on toll free number 18004192211, at one of its facilities in Noida, with support from the GB Nagar district administration, the police, the health department and both Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority.

The centre has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries since it began operations,it said.

The data analysis of the call volume, the company said reveal that over majority of the calls received have been food related (60 percent) with callers requesting for information on ordering groceries online or dry ration and cooked meals support.

The Control Room also responded to 15 percent queries related to Health Services, including questions around e-pass for hospital visits, ambulance related services and pharmacy options.

About 21 percent of the total calls were related to other queries including information on masks and sanitizer availability, ATM accessibility etc. Remaining 4 percent calls were police related.

HCL employees have been supporting the call centre operations on 24×7 basis while keeping in mind the required social distancing norms.

According to HCL, the centre’s focus has also been on screening callers and queries before referring them to a team of doctors appointed by the government for further course of recommendation.

About 12 percent of the total health related calls received were therefore, referred for doctor consultation.

The control Centre also included processes for following up and reporting of all unconfirmed, suspected, foreign return cases as well as mobile tracking and monitoring for all home and hotel quarantine cases basis inputs from official government authorities, it added.

Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals

Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment in India through the company’s distribution network, Jubilant Life Sciences said in a statement.

“Remdesivir is an effective medicine in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. In this critical situation, I am pleased that this medicine was made available by Jubilant in the quick time of two and a half months,” the company quoted the CM as saying.

“It gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction to present ?JUBI-R’, the life-saving medicine, to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath,” Jubilant Life Sciences Chairman Shyam S Bhartia said.

The company is donating 1000 vials of JUBI-R through its CSR arm, the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, he added.

In May 2020, Jubilant entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., that granted it the right to register, manufacture and sell Gilead’s investigational drug remdesivir in 127 countries including India, the company said.