Background

Mahasemam Trust and Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre (MMHRC) have joined hands to address the issue of lack of quality healthcare services. Poor health and poverty are so intimately connected that distinguishing between the causes of one and effects of another is difficult. MTC uniquely integrates health and micro finance services to provide quality care. This program uses latest modern technology (telemedicine) for health service and micro finance institution as mode for delivery.

Seventy two percent of the Indian population lives in rural areas. Majority of them are poor, bear a huge disproportionate burden of disease and poverty. The residents of rural areas struggle to access quality healthcare facilities, but very often get access to only substandard facilities. This is primarily because availability of good physicians is mostly limited to urban areas.
Recognizing the potential synergy between economics and health MTC provides integrated package that assures both financial security and good health. Microfinance can play an instrumental role in health care service in many ways:

• Achieve large-scale outreach.
• Group-based delivery mechanism serves as health education platform.
• Branches in remote rural areas, used as medical centers.
• Close client relationship, and easy home visits is possible.

Health is a key factor to reduce poverty. On large scale, promoting access to healthcare service, and resources will yield positive results on multiple development areas.

Modus operandi

In this programme telemedicine equipment is located at rural center, supported by mobile diagnostic services (equipped with X-ray, ultrasound and other facilities for lab tests) and mobile telemedicine unit for specialty care. The Village Health Worker (VHW) attends to patients and connects to the doctor via tele-link and transfers data electronically .The doctor listens to patient via videoconference and prescribes using an electronic pad. The VHW are trained to handle minor emergency also.

The core idea is to offer world-class health services to the people living in rural spaces at their doorsteps, round the clock. MTC is unique at every stage, in process, treatment, services, management and selection of human resources besides implementation
Curative and Preventive Services

• MTC provides quality healthcare services with innovative usage of telemedicine and the micro finance centers
• Mobile diagnostic and lab services.
• A mobile van with advance facilities visits the centers and rural areas for super speciality consultation.
• Regular health and hygiene education by public health expert Management
• Villagers manage the center, Mahasemam provides the space, while MMHRC brings in medical services
• Two women selected from the local community are trained in medical, public health, emergency care and telemedicine.

Methodology

The project will be implemented in stages. In initial phase it will be piloted in 2 centres Anaiyur and Varapur later expanded to 500 centers across Tamilnadu by 2013.

The centers are selected in consultation with Mahasemam Trust based on certain criteria. After identifying centers, two women would be selected from the local community as health assistant in consultation with the community. They are rigorously trained at MMHRC, in various aspects of healthcare. Later equipments will be installed and the clinic starts functioning with initial education and marketing activities.

Beneficiaries

Meenakshi Tele`Care would serve poor and marginalized people living in rural areas, who don’t have access to quality healthcare facilities. The services would be rendered irrespective of caste, class, creed, religion and culture. MTC services would be accessible to 1400000 people in pilot phase and would cover 4 crore people by the end of phase 3. MTC would start its services with members of Mahasemam and their family as the captive base, but at no point of time its services would be limited to Mahasemam members alone. Every person in the rural areas of Tamilnadu would be able to access the quality healthcare services provided by MTC.

Social Impact

The MTC project would achieve high-impact in healthcare, which in turn would bring improvement in the quality of life and living standards of the rural population of Tamilnadu.

In pilot phase we would reach 2 centers, giving healthcare access to people. At the end of 5 years services will be accessible to entire rural population across Tamilnadu, with reach to approx 4 crore people.