The units were flagged off by the Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, in the presence of Ms. Alisha Moopen, Managing Director and Group CEO of Aster DM Healthcare, Mr. Anoop Moopen, Director of Aster DM Healthcare Ltd and Mr TJ Wilson, Executive Director & Group Head – Corporate Governance, Aster DM Healthcare Ltd. Prabal Pratap Singh Tomar, Vice President of the Indian Lawn Tennis Association & Delhi President of Mixed Martial Arts, who has agreed to volunteer, will extend his support to further help this initiative reach the rural areas across the country.

The launch is an important step in an ongoing initiative by Aster Volunteers, aimed at improving access to medical care for marginalized communities across the North India region and beyond.

The new mobile units are custom built on Ashok Leyland Mitr 7 meter long Chassis, equipped with IoT-integrated telemedicine services, and essential facilities such as a patient waiting area and registration desk, vital data collection desk, basic mini lab with refrigerated storage, safe storage of medicine and dispensing facility, consultation Room for General Practitioner, Specialist and Super-Specialist tele-consultation facility (IoT Integrated), large size TV for health education and awareness programs, and expandable awning for outdoor shade, significantly enhancing healthcare accessibility.

The mobile clinics also have air conditioning, infection control mechanisms, and Wi-Fi connectivity and can navigate remote village roads, thereby reaching marginalized communities. These mobile clinics are part of Aster DM Healthcare CSR efforts in India, undertaken in strategic partnership with Ashok Leyland.

Aster Volunteers Mobile Medical Services (AVMMS) is a one-of-a-kind CSR initiative by Aster Volunteers, backed by Aster DM Foundation, aimed at bridging the gap in healthcare accessibility by providing free medical camps and disaster aid support to needy communities in remote areas.

The 50 Mobile Clinics have been achieved over a period of 12 years and increasing its networks gradually. These units are deployed across India, Middle East & Africa Regions and other South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka and Nepal, will be able to benefit at least 1 million people per annum from the FY 2025-26 period onwards.

Currently, 31 Mobile Clinic by Aster Volunteers across India are present in various places in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Bihar. West Bengal Jammu & Kashmir and upcoming are in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Aster Volunteers planning to add 10 more units in the year 2025, a good number of that shall benefit people across North India Region, as part of their commitment towards making healthcare accessible and affordable.

On this momentous occasion, Hon’ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “The launch of these Mobile Medical Clinics is a notable initiative towards enhancing healthcare access for underserved populations, which is the need of the hour. This initiative truly shines not only in its delivery of essential medical services but also in the impact it creates toward furthering the broader goal of enhancing healthcare in our country and beyond. The integration of technology with mobility, allowing high-quality care to be provided even in the most remote locations is praiseworthy. I commend the vision and dedication of Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, behind this effort, reflecting values of compassion and responsibility.”

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder & Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare, commented, “Through this initiative, we are committed to providing accessible healthcare to underserved communities using advanced technologies and sustainable practices. The launch of new mobile clinics marks a significant step in our mission to empower individuals and transform communities. Moving forward, we aim to expand our reach deeper in North India to serve marginalized populations more effectively.”

Over the last 7 years Aster Volunteers have touched the lives of 5.6 million people engaging more than 75,000 Volunteers as a movement envisaged by Dr. Moopen and the team. Aster Volunteers initiative has created significant social impact, through initiatives focused on healthcare, education, social upliftment, environmental sustainability, and disaster aid, building a bridge between those who have and have not.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

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Responding swiftly to the disaster, Dr. Moopen’s Medical College (formerly DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences) has mobilised resources in collaboration with government hospitals and Public Health Centres (PHCs) to provide immediate medical care. As of today, 173 people have been admitted, with 62 still under treatment. Seven individuals are in the intensive care unit, and 20 have undergone emergency surgery and are on the path to recovery.

The Kerala State Government has also generously furnished additional medical equipment and other supplies to facilitate efficient treatment. In addition to the tireless efforts of medical and non-medical personnel on the ground, Aster Volunteers have deployed a mobile medical unit and are supplying essential resources—including water, food, and other necessities—to support the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in their remarkable efforts.

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder and Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, expressed, “We extend our deepest sympathies to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones and to the communities grappling with this profound calamity. Our heartfelt thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating disaster. In addition to the on-the-ground efforts that we are making, we have committed Rs. 1.5 crores to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs. 2.5 crores towards rebuilding homes for those who are being displaced as a result of the disaster. Furthermore, we will continue to support those affected by the disaster in any way that we can.”

U. Basheer, Executive Trustee, Dr. Moopen’s Medical College, also conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for Aster DM Healthcare’s prompt and substantial support during this crisis.

Aster DM Healthcare remains resolute in its mission to deliver compassionate and comprehensive care during this period of adversity. United in purpose, the organisation is committed to bringing relief and resilience to those in need, confident that their collective efforts will aid in the healing and recovery of the affected communities.

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केरल (Kerala) का वायनाड एक ऐसी त्रासदी से जूझ रहा है जिसकी वजह से 300 से अधिक लोगों ने अपनी जान गवा दी है। Wayanad Landslide वायनाड में 29-30 जुलाई की रात 2 बजे से 4 बजे के बीच लैंडस्लाइड की 4 घटनाएं हुई थीं। पूरे के पूरे चार गांव बह गए थे। क्या राज्य, क्या केंद्र, क्या पुलिस या फिर सेना हर कोई राहत और बचाव के काम में जुटा है। इस बीच देश की तमाम Corporates भी सामने आये है। अपने सीएसआर फंड्स से कॉरपोरेट्स भी मदद के हाथ बढ़ा रहे है। केरल के वायनाड में हुए विनाशकारी भूस्खलन के मद्देनजर एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर भी पीड़ितों को मदद करने के लिए आगे आया है।

एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर की तरफ वायनाड भूस्खलन के पीड़ितों का होगा मुफ्त इलाज

विनाशकारी भूस्खलन के त्रासदी में पीड़ितों का एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर की तरफ से मुफ्त इलाज किया जायेगा। इस आपदा को देखते हुए एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर (Aster DM Healthcare) द्वारा संचालित डॉ. मूपेन मेडिकल कॉलेज (पूर्व में डीएम वायनाड इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ मेडिकल साइंसेज) ने पीड़ितों के मुफ्त इलाज (Free Treatment) के लिए तत्काल सरकारी अस्पतालों और सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों (पीएचसी) के सहयोग से संसाधन जुटाए हैं। डॉ. मूपेन मेडिकल कॉलेज में अब तक 173 लोगों को भर्ती कराया गया है, जबकि 62 का अभी भी इलाज चल रहा है। सात व्यक्ति आईसीयू में हैं और 20 की आपातकालीन सर्जरी हुई है और वे ठीक होने की राह पर हैं।

एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर देगी वायनाड भूस्खलन पीड़ितों को मुफ्त आशियाना, सीएम रिलीफ फण्ड में देगी 1.5 करोड़

इसके अलावा घटनास्थल पर राहत देने के लिए एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर और डॉ. मूपेन मेडिकल कॉलेज (Dr. Moopen’s Medical College) ने केरल सरकार की मदद से मौके पर कुशल उपचार की सुविधा भी दे रही है। (Wayanad News) जिसके लिए बाकायदा एक मोबाइल मेडिकल वैन भी रखा गया है। एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर के संस्थापक और अध्यक्ष डॉ. आज़ाद मूपेन ने The CSR Journal से बात करते हुए कहा कि, “जिन्होंने अपने प्रियजनों को खो दिया है उनके प्रति हमारी संवेदनाएं है। हम पीड़ितों के मदद के लिए हर संभव प्रयास कर रहे हैं। घायलों को हमारे हॉस्पिटल में फ्री इलाज किया जा रहा है। इसके अलावा हमने मुख्यमंत्री राहत कोष में 1.5 करोड़ रु. और आपदा के विस्थापित होने वाले लोगों के लिए घरों के पुनर्निर्माण के लिए 2.5 करोड़ रुपये भी मदद के रूप में खर्च करने वाले है।”

Wayanad पीड़ितों के लिए 100 ज्यादा घर बनाएगी कांग्रेस, राहुल गांधी का ऐलान

लोकसभा में विपक्ष के नेता और कांग्रेस सांसद राहुल गांधी (Rahul Gandhi News) और उनकी बहन प्रियंका ने वायनाड का दौरा किया। इस दौरान भूस्खलन पीड़ितों के लिए राहुल ने बड़ा ऐलान किया है। उन्होंने कहा कि यह एक भयानक त्रासदी है। हम कल घटनास्थल पर गए थे, हम शिविरों में गए, हमने वहां की स्थिति का आकलन किया। आज, हमने प्रशासन और पंचायत के साथ बैठक की। उन्होंने हमें हताहतों की संख्या, क्षतिग्रस्त हुए घरों की संख्या और उनकी रणनीति के बारे में जानकारी दी। हम वायनाड की हर संभव मदद करेंगे। कांग्रेस परिवार यहां 100 से अधिक घर बनाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध होना चाहता है।

The post वायनाड पीड़ितों के मुफ्त इलाज और घर के लिए आगे आया एस्टर डीएम हेल्थकेयर, रिलीफ के लिए देगा डेढ़ करोड़ appeared first on The CSR Journal.

In pursuit of a greener tomorrow, Aster has strategically integrated renewable energy sources, along with optimizing water utilization, waste management and sustainable transport management practices into its day-to-day operations. With the integration of renewable energy sources including 3,679,200 KWh solar energy, 2,300,000 KWh wind energy, and 3,569,298 KWh hydro energy, the company achieved a noteworthy reduction of 6,824 tCO2e reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions, despite significant operational expansion. Decarbonization initiatives continued across 5 hospitals, with a new solar plant of 650 kWp commissioned at Aster Wayanad Specialty Hospital – poised to reduce 460 tCO2e per annum.

Water conservation efforts have seen a 17% reduction in consumption across operations, with 85,515 KL water savings achieved through innovative practices, including recycling and rainwater harvesting.  Aster’s commitment to responsible waste management has resulted in the recycling of 423,806 KG of waste, emphasizing the organization’s holistic approach to sustainability.

Commenting on the ESG practice, Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare said, “At Aster, our commitment to ESG principles is woven into the fabric of our corporate culture. We actively integrate sustainable practices across every vertical of our operations, recognizing that our dedication to environmental, social and governance considerations is a fundamental ethos guiding our journey towards a more sustainable and responsible future. Notably, we hold the highest ESG ranking among listed healthcare companies in India, earning a ‘Strong’ rating from CRISIL, alongside multiple awards and recognition from different industry bodies in GCC. Looking ahead, we remain committed to further elevate our ESG standards by targeting a low carbon and sustainable future. We envision setting new benchmarks for environmental stewardship and social impact. Our goal is not just to meet current standards but to continuously raise the bar for excellence in ESG performance.”

Beyond operations, Aster’s corporate social initiatives, including the Aster Volunteers program, impacted 4 million+ lives through healthcare outreach to the underprivileged in the past year. Initiatives such as planting 2,000+ saplings, aiding 10,000 beneficiaries through programs like Aid for Assam and building 250 homes for victims of the Kerala Floods, reflect Aster’s role as a catalyst for positive change. As part of the 37^th Foundation Day to be celebrated on December 11, Aster DM Healthcare will also be launching a unique initiative in India for the care of elderly citizens. The programme to be launched under its CSR arm – Aster Volunteers will focus on the well-being of elderly people in the country and will adopt 10 old age homes with a target of taking care of 1000 elderly citizens who are underprivileged and do not have the means to choose an advanced healthcare facility. Governance practices at Aster DM Healthcare align robustly with sustainability goals, ensuring ethical and responsible conduct

Looking ahead, Aster remains committed to advancing its environmental agenda through the launch of a 3-year plan. The organization has placed emphasis on climate change mitigation with a targeted reduction of 2,000 tons of carbon emissions in India and GCC. It also aims to reduce paper usage by two-thirds across the two geographies, accompanied by the ambitious goal of planting 3,500 trees in these regions. Aster also plans to build a large-scale solar plant spread across 55 acres in Kasargod which would power seven hospitals in Kerala, India.

By 2025, the organization plans to reduce overall electricity consumption by 5% throughout India and GCC, contributing to a more sustainable energy profile. In tandem, a parallel commitment to a 5% overall reduction in water usage across these regions by FY2025 underscores dedication to responsible and efficient water management practices. Measures like solar powered lights across Aster Hospitals, solar car charging stations are set to be introduced.

The Aid Program will expand disaster support to two additional regions in FY24, complementing the four regions in FY23. Simultaneously, plans include establishing five Tele-Med Centres in the same fiscal year. Aster Volunteers Mobile Medical Services will see an expansion from 32 to 41 units in FY24, covering diverse regions. Volunteer engagement targets an 18% increase in registered Aster Volunteers in FY24, with external partnerships playing a pivotal role in achieving these objectives.

These initiatives collectively underscore Aster DM Healthcare’s comprehensive approach to environmental and social stewardship, affirming its commitment to building a more sustainable and resilient future.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

The post CSR: 4 million+ Impacted lives through healthcare outreach to the underprivileged in FY 22- 23 appeared first on The CSR Journal.

In FY2020-21, the district of Hyderabad received the highest share of total CSR funds spent in the state of Telangana. The district’s share of CSR expenditure amounted to Rs. 189.49 Cr. from a total of 588 companies. The top three areas of focus of CSR projects in the districts were Health, Education and Gender Equality with Rs. 84.51 Cr., Rs. 71.8 Cr., and Rs. 8.11 Cr. spent respectively for them.

Top Companies for CSR in Hyderabad

Gland Pharma Limited

Gland Pharma is the top CSR spender in Hyderabad. In FY2020-21, the company spent Rs. 6.77 Cr. in the district. The Company conducts its CSR initiatives through Gland Fosun Foundation. The main areas of focus of CSR initiatives of the company include Education, Good Health, Safety, Conservation of the Environment, Eco-Systems and Natural Resources.

CSR Projects of Gland Pharma in Hyderabad

Health – In February 2021, in association with a healthcare provider, Gland Pharma conducted a ‘Comprehensive Health Plan’ for about 2000 socio-economically children from 26 government schools and orphanages in Hyderabad, to help them grow and develop to their full potential. After being screened through diagnostic tests, the children were counselled by health professionals on nutritional aspects and treated with suitable supplements. The company has also contributed to LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) for the setting up of a dedicated ‘Centre for Elderly Eye Care’ at Hyderabad. Inaugurated on 1st June 2021, the Centre will provide diagnostic and treatment services to all those in need on a sustainable basis. Over the next three years, it will also provide surgical services for at least 3,500 people, as well as house-to-house screening services for 5,000 aged people. In December 2020, the company made a contribution to Lions Eye Hospital (Moula Ali, Hyderabad), to help them set up a ‘Modular Operation Theatre’ in their new Surgical Wing, thereby expanding their outreach to those in need of surgical procedures.

Education – In November 2019, Gland Pharma launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Free Breakfast Scheme’ for nearly 9100 children of 66 government-run schools around our manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. These children begin their day with a nutritious breakfast prepared hygienically and supplied by Akshaya Patra Foundation. Hyderabad-based ‘Sannihita Homes’ is an NGO that runs four orphanages (three for girls and one for boys), looking after nearly 400 destitute orphans from vulnerable communities (badly abused backgrounds with no care / homeless / beggars / rag-pickers / migrant families). These destitute children are given shelter, food, education, healthcare and protection.
The company has undertaken to renovate these orphanages, in order to improve the living conditions of the orphans. It is also providing funding support to the NGO to help meet some of the NGO’s regular personnel and administrative expenses.

Wildlife Conservation – The Company contributed Rs 20 Lakhs to Nehru Zoological Park (Hyderabad) for the upkeep of its numerous wild birds and animals. It was warmly welcomed by the zoo authorities as well as several wildlife conservationists/animal lovers, who acclaimed it as a much-needed CSR gesture during this lockdown period when gate collections are badly depleted. Further in October 2021, it further donated Rs 20 lakh for the construction and maintenance of the kangaroo fence in Nehru Zoological Park.

Livelihood Development – Swayamkrushi is a Hyderabad-based NGO that shelters mentally challenged women and address their special needs through therapeutic services, music, yoga, speech and physiotherapy. It also 1) sensitises the community to the special needs of the mentally challenged, 2) works with families, the community, and voluntary and government agencies, and 3) run courses in Special Education and Caregivers’ Training. The company has extended its support to this NGO for:

– The construction of a ‘Vocational Training Centre-cum-Residential Block’ for the inmates

– The procurement and installation of a few jute bag-making machines.

Msn Laboratories Private Limited

Msn Laboratories Private Limited is the second-largest CSR spender in Hyderabad. In FY2020-21, the company spent Rs. 5.95 Crores for its CSR programs in the district. The top three areas of focus for its CSR initiatives included Education, Environment Sustainability and Healthcare.

Deccan Fine Chemicals (India) Private Limited

Deccan Fine Chemicals (India) Private Limited is the third-largest CSR spender in Hyderabad. In FY2020-21, the company spent Rs. 5.27 Crores for its CSR programs in the district. The top four areas of focus for its CSR initiatives included Art and Culture, Education, Environment Sustainability and Healthcare.

Other CSR Projects in Hyderabad

Beautification of Charminar by NTPC

NTPC Ltd adopted the iconic Charminar in Hyderabad under the Swachh Iconic Places Projects of India. The company in collaboration with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation initiated the Charminar Pedestrianization Project, under which it committed to provide battery-operated vehicles for visitors, bollards to prevent traffic, Swachh Auto Tippers (SAT) for carting garbage, mechanical sweeping vehicles and litter picking machines, decorative and halogen lighting of four arches, construction of public utilities, toilets and drinking water ATM kiosks. The company committed to spending 8.19 Crores on this project.

Low Vision Rehabilitation Programme by Microsoft

Microsoft partnered with Hyderabad Eye Institute to run a program that provided vision screening for communities and children in government schools. A total of 800 persons were examined for eye problems by Vision Technicians, of which 120 were diagnosed to have treatable conditions such as cataract and referred further to LV Prasad Eye Institute for free medical care. As many as 295 people were corrected for refractive errors and prescribed spectacles at the screening site. A total of 215 people, who are differently-abled, were identified through this project are being rehabilitated by the project team. The range of services provided includes parental counselling, early intervention for children with multiple disabilities, orientation and mobility, money management, independent skills training, support in availing government schemes and concessions etc.

Myntra’s Literacy Program

Fashion platform Myntra recently collaborated with Teach For Change, of which Tollywood actress-producer Lakshmi Manchu is the Trustee and Chairperson. Through this CSR partnership, Myntra is supporting less privileged children from various government schools across Hyderabad to spread cheer and positivity in their lives. As part of this CSR initiative, the actress distributed new clothes and footwear from Myntra among 1000 children. The children are beneficiaries under the Teach For Change programme, an initiative to improve literacy and life skills among children studying in government schools.

Gati’s Drushti Eye Camp

Express logistics major Gati Ltd touched lives and sent a heartwarming message of hope and a new beginning by organizing the Drushti eye camp in Jeedimetla in December 2020. The camp was the first of the series of 15 Drushti eye camps lined up in and around Hyderabad during December 25, 2020 – March 31, 2021, to offer eye care, treatment, and surgeries free of cost to the people and senior citizens in particular from the under-privileged sections of the society. Organized in collaboration with the Foundation of His Sacred Majesty, the eye camps aim to treat more than 7000 people. The Drushti eye camp in Jeedimetla treated over 350 patients suffering from various eye diseases and disorders like cataract, glaucoma, etc. The eye camps equipped with qualified doctors, ophthalmologists, optometrists and trained community workers and support staff bring eye care facilities within the reach of the less privileged sections of the society to treat preventable blindness.

Ramky Enviro’s Construction & Demolition waste recycling plant

Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited collaborated with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to launch a new Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant in Jeedimetla, Hyderabad as its CSR project in November 2020.

The Jeedimetla C&D waste recycling plant is a processing facility fully equipped to handle the collection, transportation, processing and management of C&D waste generated in and around Hyderabad. The plant has the capacity to process up to 500 tonnes of C&D waste for recycling per day. It will operate under a public-private partnership model.

FreeIn Initiative by Aster DM Healthcare

On the occasion of Aster DM Healthcare’s 34^th Foundation Day, the group launched the Aster FreeIn initiative under which it will donate 10,000 medical investigations in the next 1 year across India and GCC. The initiative, to be run by Aster Volunteers, the CSR arm of the organization, tackles the immediate need faced by many patients, underprivileged or under financial distress, in accessing much-needed medical investigation which would help them seek proper diagnosis and accurate treatment, but are deterred by high costs. In Hyderabad, 100 medical investigations will be carried out on a monthly basis under the initiative at the Aster Prime Hospital.

The post Top CSR Projects in Hyderabad appeared first on The CSR Journal.

The second edition of #Heart2Heart by Aster Volunteers commenced today and will run until 16^th October 2022. During this period, individuals wishing to participate can register online via heart2heart.astervolunteers.com and walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day for 2 weeks of the campaign period. With the combined efforts of the participating individuals, Aster DM Foundation will be donating INR.100/- for minimum 10,000 steps a day, towards Pediatric Cardiac Surgery for underprivileged children through Aster Volunteers Treatment Aid programme in India. The initiative will conclude with a mega event on 16th October 2022 at each cluster of Aster DM Healthcare in India, where people who complete the highest number of steps will be awarded.

Flagging off the initiative, Ms. Alisha Moopen – Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, said, “Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths globally, however, half of these can be prevented. In India, 2 million children have undetected congenital heart issues. Through the Heart2Heart Walk initiative by Aster Volunteers, we at Aster want to encourage people to take proactive measures to safeguard their heart health and support underprivileged children with cardiac ailments in gaining a healthy future. Our efforts are in line with WHO’s theme of World Heart Day 2022 – ‘Use Heart for Every Heart’. Let us give hope to people, lets walk for our own health and for the smiles of underprivileged kids.”

The initiative kick-starting in Dubai, UAE will see local chapters of Aster Dm Healthcare through its brands   “Aster”, “Medcare” and “Access’’ hosting this campaign across seven countries engaging its network of 29 hospitals, 121 clinics, 421* pharmacies, 17 labs and 109 patient experience centres, encouraging participation among the local communities. In India, all Aster units including 15 hospitals, 11 clinics, 176 pharmacies, 126 labs and patient experience centres will participate in this campaign to raise healthy heart awareness.

Last year, the ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ organised by Aster Volunteers had contributed INR 2.26 million for pediatric-cardiac surgeries of underprivileged children, towards the right direction of touching little lives and promising them a healthier tomorrow. To contribute this year, participants will need to record their steps on their gadgets/smartphones and share their step count through screenshots on heart2heart.astervolunteers.com or whatsapp on Aster CMI: 994554 2392; Aster RV: 6380312450; Aster Women and children: 9916914419. Alternatively, one can upload it in on their social media channel with #Heart2Heart and #Astervolunteers.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

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At a grand ceremony held in Thiruvananthapuram, keys to the beneficiaries were handed over by Honourable Governor of Kerala, Shri Arif Mohammad Khan in the presence of other guests namely Shri P Rajeev Minister of Law, Industries and Coir Government of Kerala and Shri VD Satheeshan, Leader of Opposition, Kerala Assembly along with Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare. On the occasion, a new website for Aster Homes, www.asterhomes.org, geotagged with the details of the 255 beneficiaries, the individuals, NGOs and Associations who supported Aster in this mission was also launched. The website was unveiled by the esteemed dignitaries present at the event.

As per the promise made,

– New homes have been built for people who have lost their houses and own a land, for whom individual sustainable housing designs have been considered

– Cluster homes for a group of people on the land provided free of cost by few Philanthropists

– Retro-fitting of partially damaged homes

Handing over the keys to one of the beneficiaries, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Natural calamities can devastate and uproot people — and that is what happened during the floods that ravaged the state of Kerala in 2018. Many people died and thousands lost everything including their houses on that fateful day when nature struck with a vengeance.  Helping people in need is a value that is embedded in the DNA of Aster ever since we started the journey in 1987. Our volunteers were on the ground for weeks providing medical assistance to help people in need. Later, to rehabilitate the people who lost everything including their homes, we made a promise to the Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan on 30th September 2018 at Trivandrum to build 250 Aster Homes. This was a mammoth task which was accomplished through perseverance and hard work of the Aster Volunteers, with support from likeminded organizations and people. We feel accomplished that today, that promise has been fulfilled with dedication of the last batch of the 255 houses to the beneficiaries by the Hon Governor, Shri Arif Mohamad Khan here in Trivandrum itself. We are happy that together we could walk the talk and deliver the promise.

As floods ravaged the state, Aster DM Healthcare was one of the first responders as a private organization to come out and plan rescue operations along with launching initiatives to rebuild Kerala. It had announced Rs.15 crores as Aster Homes Fund to be used to build new houses and repair damaged houses of flood-affected victims in the state. Aster Homes project was announced in September 2018, with an aim to build 250 homes for people affected by the floods. 60 Aster employees had joined hands in this initiative and contributed Rs.2.25 Cr to build 45 Aster Homes.

The devastating floods had seen more than 54000 lives being displaced and more than 400 lost their lives in the calamity. At that time more than 200 medical and non-medical volunteers from Aster DM Healthcare’s network of hospitals in India and led by Aster Volunteers Global Programme, the Aster Disaster Support Team worked with local government relief centres in Wayanad, Ernakulam, Calicut, Malappuram districts to conduct medical camps, provide health check-ups and essential materials for sustenance.

Aster Volunteers, the CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare has been continuously serving through its various initiatives. Recently, the Aster Volunteers team reached out to Silchar and neighboring areas in Assam where floods had completely left the area devastated rendering thousands homeless and without much medical help. Not only in India but even in UAE where recent floods had left houses damaged, Aster Volunteers team sprung into action and helped victims clean and re-build their houses along with providing daily provisions and medical assistance.

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Aster Volunteers, in its effort to help people in the remote and rural areas of North India started with the launch of 3 mobile medical units in Kaithal (Haryana), Railmagra & Barmer (Rajasthan) and a 6-day free medical screening camp for the women and children from the tribal region of Barmer and neighbouring villages in Rajasthan. Through the 6-day programme, the units have impacted more than 1500 lives and educated them on personal hygiene, common health issues and sanitization.

As part of Mission Barmer 2022, a team of volunteer doctors – Obstetrics & Gynecology specialists from Aster Hospitals Clinics and Pharmacies, Dubai; Senior Pediatric Consultants from Aster CMI Bengaluru, & Pediatric Cardiac Surgeons from Aster Medcity, Kochi and a team of Aster Volunteers have been camping in Barmer along with local Volunteers. They have been screening women and children in Barmer district since the 23^rd of July. The ongoing mission will also introduce several skill development initiatives that will continue for the rest of the year.

Ruma Devi, recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for women in India, Founder of Ruma Devi Foundation and a resident of Barmer, inaugurated Mission Barmer 2022. Alongside the launch of Mission Barmer 2022, a rural health initiative, Aster Volunteers also unveiled 3 mobile medical units for the benefit of the rural populace in Kaithal and Railmagra with support from Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Foundation and Roots Foundation.

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Mission Barmer 2022 was conceived to meet the need identified in the marginalized section of the rural women. The goal is to spread awareness among rural women in their familiar environment where they feel secure to participate. We hope this initiative will help to increase healthcare awareness among the rural womenfolk which will in turn impact the women most. Women’s education and empowerment is recognized to be the single most important tool for health and well-being of the family, especially children”

Talking about the initiative, Ms. Alisha Moopen – Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said “Aster DM Healthcare is very happy to have initiated a long-term collaboration with the prestigious Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan founded by the well-known activist and social worker, Ms Ruma Devi. Rural women experience poorer health outcomes and have less access to health care than urban women, due to social constraints. Many rural areas have limited numbers of health care providers, especially women’s health providers. Hence, medical camps such as these are expected to play a vital role in establishing a positive framework for rural women to take the initiative in attending to the healthcare requirements of their families and most importantly, of themselves. This project will be aligned with several other women empowerment initiatives that Aster proposes to launch.”

Ms. Ruma Devi added, “I would like to place on record my extreme appreciation of this initiative launched by Aster DM Healthcare and Aster Volunteers. We are very happy and fortunate that Aster has taken up this mission focused on the empowerment of rural women and contribute its resources to promote the welfare of this neglected segment of the population.

Mission Barmer 2022 is an ongoing engagement, which shall benefit a larger group of people at the grassroot level with free medical intervention in the rural areas of Rajasthan. Aster DM Foundation plans to depute more medical volunteers through its flagship volunteering initiative “Aster Volunteers” a network of 45000 plus volunteers registered on a credible health platform in India and in GCC.

During the medical camp, any kid who will need further investigation or require any special surgery shall be directed to Aster Medcity Kochi under the aegis of Aster DM Foundation.

After the mega medical camp, on-ground partners such as Human Welfare Foundation and Ruma Devi Foundation shall continue to contribute to Mission Barmer 2022 with Clinical and Skill missions in partnership with Aster Volunteers.

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Safan Ali was brought to Aster when he was four months old. He was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a rare condition where the bile ducts or the tube that connects the liver to the intestine does not develop. This results in jaundice and yellowish discolouration of the eyes, which subsequently leads to liver failure. Following a failed surgical intervention in his native Karimnagar, Telangana, he progressed to have severe jaundice and cirrhosis  which necessitated a liver transplant. It was then through the help of Sonu Sood that the patient reached Aster Medcity in Kochi and underwent a successful liver transplant procedure.

Talking about Safan, Dr. Mathew Jacob, Lead Senior Consultant at Aster Medcity Hospital, said, “When Safan came to us, he was deeply jaundiced, malnourished, and had developmental delays. We counseled the parents on the nature of his illness and the immediate need for liver transplantation. He was then admitted for a pre-transplant workup. Despite heavy odds related to the child’s age and underdeveloped physique, the surgery was completed without a hitch. He has made a good recovery, is free of jaundice, and is thriving well.”

The surgical procedure was performed by a select team of surgeons including Dr. Charles Panackel, Senior Consultant Hepatologist, Dr. Geetha Mammayil, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Dr. Sudheer Muhammed M, Consultant Surgeon, Dr. Biju Chandran, Consultant Surgeon.

Speaking on the initiative Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Liver Transplant is a prohibitively expensive lifesaving quaternary treatment done only at a very few hospitals in the country. The Integrated Liver Transplant team at Aster has performed one among the largest series of Paediatric liver transplants in the country, which is the only option for survival for most cases.  The humongous expenses for this, though it is the lowest in India at Aster, is beyond the means of most parents. We are glad that with the Second Chance initiative for Liver Transplant done in association with Shri. Sonu Sood, we have been able to save Mohammed Safan Ali from the clutches of death at a young age.”

Mr. Sonu Sood, an actor by profession, has chosen to commit unstinted patronage to the Second Chance initiative which is set to benefit 49 more children from low-income families. Following the announcement of the initiative, many adult patients have also stepped forward to seek support.

“India has taken huge strides in the advancement of medical care but the access of the same is still miles away for patients like Safan Ali and his family, and mostly because of the high cost. Through this association with Second Chance initiative, we hope to give life to more patients like Safan Ali,” said Bollywood Actor Sonu Sood.

Aster Hospitals’ newly launched Multi-Organ Transplant facilities are multi-institutional and multidisciplinary centres designed to provide the best transplant experience. The centres are manned by skilled teams of surgeons with technical expertise in performing different types of transplants including Liver, Kidney, Heart, Lung, Cornea and Bone Marrow. The centre at Aster Medcity is one of the largest paediatric liver transplant programmes in South India, supporting comprehensive care for liver diseases in children. Empowered with vast experience in hepato-pancreato biliary and abdominal multi-organ transplant surgeries, the team has completed over 500 successful Liver Transplant Surgeries within the Aster Hospitals in India.

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A single patient generates nearly 80 MB of data annually in imaging and EMR data; according to 2017 estimates, RBC Capital Market projects that “by 2025, the compound annual growth rate of data for healthcare will reach 36%. Genomic data alone is predicted to be 2–40 exabytes by 2025—eclipsing the amount of data acquired by all other technological platforms.”

AI-enabled solutions in areas such as medical imaging are helping to address pressing challenges in healthcare such as staffing shortages and aging populations.  However, accessing silos of relevant data spread across the different hospitals, geographies, and other health systems while complying with regulatory policies is a massive challenge.

Commenting on this first-of-its-kind collaboration, Dr Azad Moopen, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said, “Aster Innovation and Research Centre is glad to partner with technology giants like CARPL and INTEL to bring highly progressive healthcare solutions through digital advances and Artificial Intelligence.  The Secure Federated Learning initiative will help analyse data and support the development of a predictive mechanism for patients, the opportunity for a second opinion on treatments, and most importantly, affirming data security and confidentiality of patients. So far, only a few such initiatives have been conducted especially in the healthcare space. This collaborative platform with world leaders will open doors to many players in the sector to participate in developing accessible healthcare solutions.”

Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India & Vice President, Intel Foundry Services, said, “AI applications are at the cusp of revolutionizing healthcare through timely and effective screening, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Getting access to high quality training datasets and addressing limitations in the form of regulatory frameworks and geographic boundaries are critical imperatives. I am happy to announce that Aster and Intel have collaborated to address these challenges and deployed a first-of-its-kind Secure Federated Learning Platform in India. It offers a real-world solution by addressing key aspects like security, trust and confidentiality for optimal use of data. This solution will be offered as a service to be used by both AI researchers and data custodians in their pursuit of advancing AI innovation and extensive impact in healthcare. It marks a paradigm shift by getting the compute to the data rather than getting the data to the compute. Our joint intent is to make this platform available to the health ecosystem to solve some of the large-scale healthcare problems and enable quality, affordable and at-scale healthcare.

Dr. Vidur Mahajan, Chief Executive Officer, CARPL.ai said, “There is no doubt that de-centralised data storage and subsequent training of AI models in a federated manner is the future, especially since lack of generalisability of AI is becoming a bigger problem. We are glad to partner with brands that are doyens of their respective fields – Aster in healthcare and Intel in computation – to enable the extraction, anonymisation, annotation and delivery of data to the AI models through CARPL. Our mission is to take AI from bench to clinic, and this is another example of the same.”

How it works

Federated Learning (FL) is a method of training AI algorithms with data stored at multiple decentralized sources without moving that data. To facilitate the adoption of federated learning, Intel has led the development of OpenFLopen source framework for training machine learning algorithms,that provide a solution to “data silos” by leveraging Intel’s security technology.

Intel Software Guard Extensions offers hardware-based memory protection by isolating specific application code and data in memory. This secure FL solution enables the protection of workload intellectual property (IP) and secures health data with its custodians. OpenFL was combined with CARPL’s rich data extract, transform, and load (ETL) capabilities for end-to-end AI model training.

The demonstration of the capability of this platform was done using hospital data from the Kerala, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada clusters of Aster Hospital. Over 125,000 chest X-Ray images, including 18573 images selected from over 30,000 unique patient data from Bengaluru, were used to train a CheXNet AI model using a two-node/site approach – Bengaluru and Vijayawada – Federated Learning to detect abnormalities in the X-Ray report. The 18,573 unique images, in addition, provided a 3% accuracy boost due to real-world data that was otherwise not available for training the AI model.

Advantages for the healthcare ecosystem

– Allows data scientists from multiple organizations to perform AI training without sharing raw data

– Gives healthcare providers and other ecosystem partners access to larger datasets used to develop AI models used in preventative and predictive medicine

– Ensures organizational data compliance and governance as data is not shared due to security and privacy guarantees

– Increases the accuracy of AI model training due to access to larger datasets.

The success of this pilot has demonstrated engagement to the next level, which is to democratise access to health data across organisational & geographical boundaries without compromising on the data privacy and security aspects.

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