Mastercard and American India Foundation (AIF) launch first portable hospital in Jalna – ET HealthWorld

The facility has been installed by AIF as part of philanthropic efforts delivered through the Mastercard Impact Fund.

In the wake of the devastating second wave of COVID-19 in India, Mastercard made an $8.9M grant to the AIF to expand medical infrastructure across India by 2,000 hospital beds by September 2021. This augmentation of the healthcare system will enable three million Indians annually to access in-patient and outpatient services, enhancing the nation’s healthcare infrastructure and resilience during times of crisis.

The newly upgraded facility in Civil hospital, Samarth Nagar, Jalna district, Maharashtra includes triage and treatment centers, of which 92 general ward beds are in isolation units and 8 are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The addition of 100 new beds increases the hospital’s current 350-bed capacity by almost 30%, boosting its ability to treat and care for those affected by COVID-19. Due to the portable nature of the facility, after the urgent need for beds subsides, each unit can easily be deconstructed or repurposed as extra space for various community needs.

Three sites will be launched in quick succession next month in Amravati, Maharashtra; Baramati, Maharashtra; and Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.

“Maharashtra Government lauds the efforts of American India Foundation and Mastercard, for ramping up State Healthcare infrastructure and building resilience against future emergencies in the face of the highly transmissible resurgent Covid 19 Pandemic. We appreciate the efforts of construction of 300 rapidly deployable Modular hospital bed units across Pune, Jalna and Amravati Districts, during the biggest humanitarian crisis of our times. These modular units will fortify the existing infrastructure and make hospitals self-sufficient in the face of the looming third wave”, said Rajesh Tope, Hon’ble Health Minister, Government of Maharashtra.

Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, said, “Rapidly developing and implementing surge-capacity in our health-care system is an important ongoing effort all over the country. Government efforts are supplemented by partnership with industry and NGOs with an aim to refurbish existing hospital infrastructure to improve critical care. These include facilitating state governments’ systems in a manner uniquely required of them. The initiative by Mastercard and AIF is one such where a few hospitals are being launched and/or commence their functions this month. Keeping up the momentum, learning from these experiences, will be important to accomplish the goals of all such partnerships.”

With healthcare infrastructure brought to the brink due to the rapid resurgence of COVID-19, AIF is working tirelessly to augment India’s existing healthcare system as part of its larger pandemic relief operations. Leveraging experience in providing critical relief in humanitarian crises, AIF is providing 30,000 ventilators, 5,000 oxygen concentrators, Oxygen Generation plants in 50 cities and 2,600 portable hospital bed units in 35 cities.

“To ensure sustainable relief and preparedness for future emergencies, AIF is working with state and local governments to provide critical aid in this crisis. Partnering with state governments to augment the health infrastructure is part of our core strategy for COVID-19 relief. We thank the government and Mastercard for providing us with an opportunity to serve the people in critical need of intervention through these 2,000 beds fitted with oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other medical supplies. AIF would also like to thank the district administration of Jalna which has been instrumental in setting up the Portable Hospital and has made considerable investments to create necessary infrastructure to bring up this critical health facility,” said Nishant Pandey, CEO, AIF.

“Mastercard is honored to partner with India’s government and AIF to facilitate the rapid construction of these portable hospitals. These will not only provide immediate relief to individuals and families who need it, but also contribute to bolstering the country’s healthcare infrastructure and resilience in the long-term. Mastercard’s commitment to India is unwavering and we stand ready, alongside our partners, to respond to current and emerging needs quickly and with the full backing of the company’s resources,” said Nikhil Sahni, Division President, South Asia and Country Corporate Officer, India, Mastercard.

To date, Mastercard has committed US$10 million (approximately 75 crore rupees) as part of its efforts to address critical COVID-related challenges in India. In addition to on-the-ground medical support, Mastercard has funded the shipment of 1,000 oxygen generators. The company continues to donate to local charities and NGOs to enable them to directly support those impacted by the virus, including frontline medical workers.