GNRC’s Swasthya Mitra Program receives aid from USAID-supported SAMRIDH initiative

Guwahati, March 5, 2022: 
The innovative SAMRIDH healthcare blended finance facility,
supported by USAID (US agency for international development, which is
the Washington’s premier international development agency) has
extended financial aid of US $1.2 million to GNRC hospitals, a chain
of multi-specialty healthcare institutions in eastern India. With this
partnership, GNRC, which is the first super specialty healthcare
centre in northeast India and now operates four hospitals with combined
capacity of over 650 beds, is expected to strengthen preparedness for
not only the current Covis-19 pandemic but also for future health
emergencies by increasing the reach of quality healthcare services
offered under Indian Union government’s flagship health assurance
program Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY and Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme.

Mentionable is that USAID, IPE Global, stakeholders from the Indian
government, academia, and the private sector developed the SAMRIDH
initiative in 2020 to combine public and philanthropic funds with
commercial capital to create and rapidly scale market-based health
solutions that can improve access to affordable and quality healthcare
services for India’s vulnerable section in the society.  GNRC’s
Swasthya Mitra Program, in collaboration with SAMRIDH, ensures the
beneficiaries to have access to 35-40% of hospital beds in need and
also spreading of awareness amongst the rural population on importance
of using face-masks, maintaining social distancing, practicing hand
hygiene, understanding the benefits of corona-vaccination and finally
educating communities on Covid-19 appropriate behaviours.

GNRC Swasthya Mitra is a pool of community health workers who
constantly work for preventive, promotive and curative care for
India’s rural and urban poor population. Most of these Swasthya Mitras
are women selected from their communities, who relentlessly help the
low-income population in Assam in obtaining access to quality and
affordable healthcare. GNRC Swasthya Mitras are trained to identify
any patients with corona-symptoms and collaborate with the public
health authority to facilitate testing, tracking, isolation, and
treatment of patients.

SAMRIDH’s timely support to GNRC has enabled the hospital group to
mount an effective response to tackle the third wave of Covis-19. Till
date, GNRC has dedicated 320 beds to help corona-patients, including
150 ICU beds across its four units in Dispur (2 campuses), Six Mile
and North Guwahati locality. The aid also enabled GNRC to convert its
Good Health unit in Dispur to a fully functional Covis-19 hospital,
equipped with ventilators and necessary oxygen support, along with
other technical equipment for proper management of corona-cases.
Trained and experienced doctors and other skilled support staff are
manning these facilities for best possible care to the people.

SAMRIDH leverages philanthropic capital, and public sector resources
to offset barriers for commercial investments in small & medium health
enterprises to invest in and scale healthcare solutions. With this
approach, SAMRIDH drives greater resources towards market-based health
solutions that can improve access to affordable and quality healthcare
services for India’s most vulnerable. SAMRIDH works in technical
collaboration with premier institutions like the Indian Institute of
Technology (Delhi), Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, principal
scientific advisor to the Union government in New Delhi, National
Health Authority, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Rockefeller Foundation
along with leading corporates, international donors, financial
institutions and industry associations.

"We are pleased to support GNRC in expanding its community engagement
program to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable
populations. Through this collaboration, we aim to catalyse
partnerships for greater investments towards GNRC’s initiatives
focused on improving awareness and access of health services. We
envision our joint efforts to play a significant role in bolstering
Government of India’s large scale healthcare programs including
Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY and Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme,” said  Himanshu
Sikka, project director of SAMRIDH healthcare blended finance
facility.

Expressing his acknowledgement on receiving the support from SAMRIDH,
Dr Nomal Chandra Borah, founder of GNRC affordable health mission and
GNRC group of hospitals, “The GNRC family is enthralled and deeply
grateful and whole heartedly acknowledges the support of USAID and
this SAMRIDH initiative to assist us in our collaborative efforts.
This partnership endorses our relentless efforts to make quality
healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone in society,
irrespective of their social and economic status, especially the most
vulnerable populations.”

One of the prominent neurologists in India, Dr Borah also added, “We plan to
fast-track our existing Swasthya Mitra operations to 10 districts of
western and middle Assam covering 4000 villages and 6 million people
with the help of SAMRIDH’s support.” This support will demonstrate
that poor populations can also be served and included in organized
healthcare channels through commercial models. The initial support
from SAMRIDH is expected to be followed by private sector commercial
financing. Setuka Partners, a boutique advisory firm that works with
responsible enterprises in emerging and frontier markets and investors
to forge enduring partnerships involving the movement of catalytic
capital (debt, equity, grants) has been advising GNRC to put together
this blended finance package.