The COVID-19 pandemic brought about an awareness about the state of healthcare infrastructure in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that what we experienced with COVID-19 was certainly not great, but the worst is yet to come. It has warned that it is time for the world to make healthcare a priority and install necessary measures and infrastructure in place to improve the preparedness for future pandemics.
In the wake of this warning by WHO, governments across the world are scrambling to enhance their healthcare facilities. In line with this is the State government of Karnataka, which has expressed the desire to use CSR funds to upgrade the state’s health and medical education infrastructure and services. The Health Department of the government of Karnataka has set up a CSR committee headed by Geetanjali Kirloskar, who is part of the Kirloskar Group, to oversee this.
Deliberating on this, the Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said Ms Kirloskar would set up a consortium of like-minded corporate companies interested in pitching in with their CSR funds for the comprehensive development of health and medical education sectors in the State.
“We are involving corporates in the health sector during the pandemic. This will help in enhancing public healthcare and the overall upgrading of health services. A lot of companies are already involved in this initiative and about ₹5,000 crore CSR funds were spent during 2014–15. The CSR Act mandates companies to spend at least 2% of their three-year annual net profit towards CSR activities in a financial year and 25% of the total CSR in the health sector,” the Minister said.
Role of Primary Health Centres (PHCs)
The rural health system relies heavily on Primary Healthcare centres. However, such centres often do not have the best of facilities. There is a lack of organised manner of working and managing patients, improper unclean and cramped waiting areas, outdated equipment and unprofessional behaviour by the staff. Developing these healthcare centres can reduce the burden on the hospitals and can ease the lives of the rural poor.
Recognising their role in the rural health system, the Minister said, and added that was a need to strengthen them. “Corporates should come forward to develop PHCs. We have requested companies to upgrade the existing PHCs,” he said.
“We have 2,500 PHCs in the State and huge funds have to be mobilised for upgrading them. Over 40% of the companies in Karnataka are information technology companies. The CSR committee will discuss with these companies for mobilising CSR funds,” he said.
Ms Kirloskar said people were now ready to spend more time and money on preventive and curative medicine. “Someday, we will reach the stage of predictive medicine too. I am glad to partner with the State government in this vital and critical initiative. I appeal to like-minded companies to pitch in with their CSR funds for upgrading the healthcare sector in Karnataka,” she said.
