The Challenge
A Brief Background- Why build rural healthcare infrastructure?
Meghalaya’s rural population has a hard time getting timely and affordable healthcare access. India has one of the highest individual healthcare expenditures with out-of-pocket costs nearing 70%. Most of the facilities like clinics, pharmacies, radiology and testing facilities, and hospitals are located in densely populated urban areas. This is, in fact, a constraint throughout rural India and other parts of the world. It creates a heavy burden on impoverished villagers who are forced to travel far and incur high expenses to seek treatment at already crowded and impacted urban facilities.
The Smart Village Solution
Use technology and collaborative open innovation to help villages reduce time and costs for fostering healthy and productive citizens.
Project: The Gramin Rural Healthcare Clinic
BRINGING LAST MILE ACCESS TO PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES
Gramin’s Rural Polyclinic Healthcare Center aims to identify and serve the existing lapses in healthcare access. This SVM-Berkeley pilot program provides resources and infrastructure to satisfy the rural population’s medical needs in strategically chosen rural locations.
Project data
The Pilot was established at Sohrarim village, Laitkroh block – a village with a population of around 600 in the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya.
The Sohrarim Gramin staff have organized 20+ health camps in villages around Sohrarim to create medical awareness through pandemic which has made Gramin Sohrarim a successful pilot.
THE LOCATION
After finalizing Gramin as the perfect project partner and the locations for the rural healthcare centers, the team from SVM and Gramin conduct field assessments and finalize project requirements.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE & TEAM
The new Healthcare centers are refurbished with modern medical technology and medical & admin staff are hired to see and treat patients at each center.
ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY
SVM and Gramin Team begin community mobilization services to gain acceptance by the community. Together we build awareness and confidence in the Poly Health Clinics (PHC), Gramin Health Cards, and how to access the services provided.
The Shift to High Quality Healthcare in Remote areas
A health care hub that a village community can call their own.
Impact
9 LOCAL JOBS CREATED
500 FAMILIES AND 2000 PEOPLE ARE BENEFICIARIES
SMART VILLAGE MOVEMENT – MEGHALAYA WAS ABLE TO SHOW INCREASED PROGRESS WITH GROUND PROJECTS LIKE GRAMIN HEALTHCARE AS THE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS STARTED TO SLOWLY OPEN UP
THE GRAMIN HEALTHCARE CENTRES SEES GROWING NUMBERS OF PATIENTS EVERY DAY. GRAMIN’S FIRST PHARMACY FRANCHISE HEALTH CAMP OPENED IN LAITRYNGEW TO A GREAT RESPONSE FROM
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
PATIENTS’ FEEDBACK HAS BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING AS THEY HAVE APPRECIATED THE LOW FEE CHARGED FOR THE MEDICAL SERVICES AND MEDICINES.
Next Up for the Community
Establishing more primary healthcare centers throughout Meghalaya and other states as SVM reach and impact grows.
The SVM Platform
The SVM-Berkeley curated open innovation platform builds an Open Innovation ecosystem that connects the villager’s challenges to corporates, academic research, and state governments.
We help leverage shared capital and operational resources with co-innovation and collaborative engagements bringing optimum solutions to rural challenges.
Our Vision
A shift to high-quality healthcare for remote rural areas in Meghalaya and one day all over India & the world.
Contribute & Participate
Corporates, non-profit organizations or volunteers interested in partnering with SVM, please Contact us to learn more about our work and how you can participate.
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Empower the rural world.