The Health Management and Research Institute (HMRI), a primary healthcare initiative under Piramal Foundation, has launched 104 Health Information Helpline. The 30 seater Health Information Helpline would operate on 24 x7, throughout the year. This helpline call centre is located in Raipur and can handle a call volume of 2,500 calls a day.
Dr Raman Singh, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh inaugurated the helpline. The ceremony also witnessed the presence of Amar Agarwal - Health Minister, Ramesh Bias, MP – Raipur, Brij Mohan Agarwal - Minister of Education, Kiranmayee Nayak –Raipur Mayor, M K Raut (IAS) – personal secretary – Health, Pratap Singh (IFS) - commissioner HM & FW, Dr K P Singh – DHS.
The call centre is equipped with well trained paramedics, counselors, doctors, specialists and uses HMRI’s algorithm and disease summary. The paramedics aid in providing basic medical advice whereas the doctors provide expert advice at the call centre. Advice is also provided for long-term illness conditions such as diabetes, heart issues, cancer, common ailments and chronic and acute medical issues.
The team also shares much needed information during local epidemics and health scares, rehab counseling (alcohol, drugs, smoking) and psychological counseling (anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, chronic diseases like cancer etc.). Experts address issues related to family planning, stigmatized diseases (HIV, AIDS, and leprosy), birth disorders like cleft lip and club foot among the new born, childcare, pregnancy and safe birth practices as well as sickle cell anaemia.
In the future, the Raipur health helpline can be connected further to telemedicine node that would access and be connected to medical colleges and district hospitals.
Other services offered by the Piramal Foundation led HMRI initiative are 104 health helplines in Assam, Rajasthan, Maharasthra and Karnataka in partnership with the respective state Governments and has served over 66 million callers till date. Recently, HMRI has won the bid for the helpline in the state of Jharkhand. HMRI is poised for a growth with ambitious footprint plans across States.
Through this healthcare initiative, the Piramal Foundation endeavours to leverage the latest technologies along with modern management expertise to augment and complement existing public healthcare delivery systems with the ultimate goal of bringing healthcare to the last mile. HMRI strives for equity in healthcare, especially for the rural poor, and plans to spread its Health Information Helplines, Mobile Health Services and Telemedicine initiatives throughout India.
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