Canara Bank, Biocon sign up for Odisha e-healthcare programme

New Delhi March 8, 2014: Canara Bank has lent support to Biocon Foundation and OTTET (Odisha Trust of Technical Education) for a unique public-private partnership (PPP) with the Odisha Government to deliver e-healthcare programme for the underprivileged and rural communities in the State.

Biocon Foundation has joined hands with OTTET to augment and implement a mega-ICT based e-Health project in the state. A MoU was signed between Biocon Foundation, Canara Bank and OTTET to take it forward.

RK Dubey, Chairman and Managing Director, Canara Bank said, “Canara Bank has always been at the forefront in delivering financial services to underserved communities. The bank’s support to this PPP demonstrates our commitment to lifting communities out of poverty and poor health.”

Under this PPP, Biocon Foundation and OTTET will set up an electronic diagnostic facility, an e-Health Centre, managed by local young entrepreneurs, at all the Primary Health Centres (PHC) of the Odisha government.

OTTET has been actively engaged in an e-Health program with the Government of Odisha through PPP to provide access to quality healthcare for 51,000 villages in Odisha.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon said, “With support from Canara Bank we are enabling our partnership with OTTET to realize the objectives of delivering e-healthcare to the people of Odisha.”

“We aim to strengthen the present public healthcare delivery system in Odisha, by providing solutions around primary and secondary healthcare with effective use of technology,” she added.

OTTET Managing Trustee KN Bhagat said the project aims to provide rapid diagnosis, reduce out of pocket expenses and drastically, cut down hospitalisation whilst ensuring transparency and accountability for every single patient.