Punjab Governor launches e-health project in Malwa region

MUKTSAR:  Breaking new grounds in revolutionizing Health Care system, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, General (Retd.) Dr. S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, Wednesday launched E-Clinic at village Mallan in this rural belt of Malwa region .



Jean Rodrigues wife of  Governor,S. Manpreet Singh Badal Finance Minister Punjab and, Dr. Allen Hammond,Chairman Amit Jain, Director Naandi Foundation were present on the occasion.

Addressing a large public meeting on the occasion, General Rodrigues described it as a new milestone in the continuing endeavour to revolutionize the healthcare services and upgrading the standards in this vital sector of human and social development. He said that this innovative approach in providing high quality healthcare in the rural areas has added one more credible achievement in the developmental process of Punjab.

Lauding the role of Naandi foundation, a Hyderabad based NGO in launching this project with the personal effort of Finance Minister,  Manpreet Singh Badal, General Rodrigues said that this unique model of partnership by the people in various societal endeavour is the only solution  to expand our reach to the needy people. He said that there is a need of change in perceptions, attitudes and mindset and extend our assistance in proving the delivery services in public welfare. He said that this new concept aims at winning of confidence of patients  through model of health care and we have to reorient our systems with help of all stakeholders including clinical professionals and other community opinion leaders.     

Sharing his concern over the alarming increase in cancer cases in the malwa belt Gen. Rodrigues emphasized the need of evolving an effective and responsive   system to tackle this menance. He impressed upon the Finance Minister and Naandi Foundation to take it also as a Pilot Project for treating the cancer patients in the region.

Accompanied  by Jean Rodrigues, Dr. Hammond,Chairman and  Amit Jain Director, Naandi Foundation, the Governor went around the facility, interacted with the paramedical staff and impressed upon them to work with commitment and dedication and create a model for rest of the Country. He also met the patients who got treatment through this novel concept.

Manpreet Singh Badal, Finance Minister Punjab while speaking on the occasion said that   this E-health clinic based on innovative concept offers vide range of medical services for chronic diseases apart from   specialized healthcare services through telemedicine and broad band electronics methodologies. He emphasized that this programme can only be successful if all the people join this endeavour. He said that the Punjab Government has covered one thousand villages for giving potable drinking water in the Malwa region and more E Health centres will be opened in villages Doda and Kot Bhai.                

Dr. Amit Jain Director of Naandi Foundation while speaking on the occasion highlighted the future of E-health programme and said that  The E Health Point is an initiative to ensure high quality health care through telemedicine along with achieving a perceptible improvement in health education for rural residents.

He futher said that each village E Health point unit provides telemedical consultation with doctors, a wide range of advanced diagnostics, a licensed pharmacy, and clean drinking water and will serve a community of up to 10,000 local residents. Services are offered on a fee for service basis at prices affordable by most rural Indian households, most services cost less than Rs. 50. The consulting doctors are based at an urban telemedical center at Bathinda linked by broadband video to the E Health Point units. The E Health Point essentially brings in the benefits of combing high quality medicines, latest diagnostics, video consultation with qualified doctors and safe drinking water all these with an assurance of quality, affordability and confidentiality and privacy. The E Health Point project is expected to vastly provide quality basic health services in terms of health, productivity and economic improvements.  

This project assumes greater significance as(and potential promise too) It is probably the first of its kind model in the whole world which combines such services, this is further manifested due to the fact that across almost all states in India, it is commonly perceived that the health benefits are more accessible to people in urban and semi-urban areas.