Glocal Healthcare Systems to Expand with 550 Primary Health Centers across Madhya Pradesh, India�s Fifth Largest State by Population

KOLKATA, India & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Glocal Healthcare Systems (or Glocal), the comprehensive technology based healthcare system that spans from brick and mortar to digital, from villages to metros and from primary care to tertiary care, today announced the awarding of 550 new locations for Primary Health Centers (PHCs) by the National Health Mission of Madhya Pradesh. The telemedicine centers will be developed to serve a mainly rural population of approximately 13.75 million. Each PHC will be strategically located to provide health services to underserved communities of approximately 25,000 people. Glocal�s model was designed to meet the United Nations goal to increase access to healthcare in a sustainable fashion worldwide. When fully implemented, Glocal will serve as one of the largest telehealth providers worldwide.

Syed Sabahat Azim, MD, Founder and CEO of Glocal and Chief Executive Officer, International of UpHealth said, �The need for integrated, sustainable solutions in healthcare continues to be a challenge not only in India but in developed and lesser developed nations. We honoured to partner with the National Health Mission of Madhya Pradesh and we look forward to bringing our urgently needed, life changing results to millions.�

Chhavi Bhardwaj, MD, National Health Mission of Madhya Pradesh stated, �We are more than pleased to partner with Glocal as they expand access to better healthcare, especially in the underserved rural areas of Madhya Pradesh. We envision a public/private collaboration, using state-of-the-art technology, that meets the healthcare needs of many, without the need for extensive travel. This initiative, under the guidance of the Hon'ble Minister and as per the vision of the Hon'ble Chief Minister is to ensure that people in rural parts of the state get access to specialist doctors and we hope that this program will be very successful.�

The State of Healthcare in Madhya Pradesh:

In Madhya Pradesh, as in too many rural places around the world, healthcare infrastructure is quite poor, and ailing patients often travel miles to access healthcare services in the nearby towns or cities. This leads to consumption of both time and money. In many cases the patients� health deteriorates due to long travel in public transport. As per 2018 data (NHP 2018), there were only 4593 doctors in Madhya Pradesh public facilities. While the World Health Organization recommends that the doctor: patient ratio should be 1:1000, in Madhya Pradesh the ratio is 1: 17192 (based on Government facility doctors). Moreover, the data also indicates that 37% of the doctors� post were vacant and 13% of the PHCs were without a doctor. The problem worsens when the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) is considered. Studies demonstrate that the on an average, a patient spends ?574 (US $7.85) per episode on OOP. The cost-of-service delivery averages ?604 (US $8.26), therefore, the gross cost of OPD, per episode, is well above ?1100 (US $15.05) making it extremely unaffordable. The unavailability of good quality-of-care in public facilities together with the high OOP drives away the rural patient to seek healthcare from expensive private facilities. This contributes to the increase in rural poverty and rise in both morbidity and mortality. The Government of Madhya Pradesh's vision is to ensure equity in healthcare with access to good quality healthcare for everyone. It is leveraging technology to ensure universal healthcare. This program is part of this vision.

Glocal�s Solution:

Glocal is a state-of-the art service delivery solution which is not only affordable, but is seamlessly available during working hours across the selected PHCs and ensures a high quality of care through qualified and experienced specialists. The telemedicine network shall be set-up to provide services of General Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics. Glocal anticipates providing healthcare to about 50 patients daily from each of these 550 PHCs. After fully operational, Glocal�s centres will have the capacity to administrate services to at least 27,000 patients daily and approximately 8 million telemedicine consults annually.

Al Gatmaitan, DSc, FACHE, Co-Chief Executive Officer & President, UpHealth, which has an equity investment in Global added, �Glocal�s telemedicine solutions address 3 major healthcare issues: Affordability, Accessibility and Accountability. Dr. Syed Sabahat Azim�s ideas began in India and his visionary implementation of better sustainable healthcare has been recognized at the New Economy Forum in New York when Bloomberg showcased his work as a Game Changer and Bloomberg Businessweek showcased him as one of four people who are shaking up emerging markets. Dr Azim was been declared Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 by the World Economic Forum�s Schwab Foundation for Social Enterprise. Glocal�s model has been successfully implemented in 10 Lesser Developed Nations with plans for additional expansion. With the global COVID-19 pandemic, we look forward to providing real, life changing solutions as envisioned by the United Nations.�

About Glocal Healthcare:

Glocal is a tech and process based platform to make healthcare affordable, accessible and accountable. Set up in 2010, Glocal is a social venture that seeks to bring State of Art Healthcare to the rural population in India through an integrated model of block level comprehensive primary & secondary care hospitals, digital dispensaries and technology. Glocal stands for global quality, delivered at a local level.

About UpHealth Holdings, Inc.:

UpHealth is a global comprehensive digital health technology and tech-enabled services platform that empowers providers, health systems and payors globally to manage care for people with complex medical, behavioral and social needs, while dramatically improving access to primary care. For more information, visit www.UpHealthInc.com

Contacts

Sean Leous

[email protected]
+1 646.866.4012

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