NationWide Primary Healthcare Services is looking to initiate talks with the state governments to enter into a partnership for the better management of the primary health centres (PHCs) coming under the umbrella of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). In this regard it has begun talks with Karnataka government.

The NUHM according to the Union government is planned to be implemented during the 12th Plan to address the healthcare needs of the poor population in the urban and its peripheral areas. The state government is expected to identify and also open new PHCs.

There is a great degree of rural migration driven by the new jobs opportunities. The state governments will need to ensure the healthcare needs by providing accessible quality healthcare. This is where private partnership with us will provide the big support to the state government and major relief to patients, Dr Santanu Chattopadhyay, founder and CEO of NationWide Primary Healthcare Services Pvt. Ltd, told Pharmabiz in a telecom.

While the government is also facing a massive shortage of doctors it has no dearth of capability to offer the infrastructure and we would chip in our expertise in operational excellence including specialists and doctors. Therefore, in our discussions with the state government, we are looking to manage and administer the PHCs. The proposal being put forth is to take up the management of at least a dozen PHCs on a pilot scale for a period of six months, he added.

The pilot projects could be evaluated on parameters of quality care, saving patients life, efficiency in comprehensive service and cost-savings with proactive management of everyday ailments and effectively managing chronic conditions, said Dr Chattopadhyay.

In fact, NationWide which is a pioneer in introducing a chain of 16 primary care clinics across the Bengaluru brought together the local community, healthcare professionals and the state government on a single platform to ascertain ways to improve primary care in the community at the ‘Whitefield Health Assembly’. The event had the presence of the Karnataka Minister for Health & Family Welfare Aravind Limbavali who lauded the importance of primary healthcare for early detection of diseases and its prevention.

Further the forum also emphasised the need for public-private partnerships in the community healthcare sector. The idea behind this initiative is to join hands with the government to improve healthcare delivery in local communities. The health assembly is the first step in understanding the needs of the community and exploring viable public-private partnerships to address these gaps, informed the NationWide chief.

Through the concept of ‘Bringing back the Family Doctor’, NationWide has helped revive the age-old family doctor model. The chain focuses on bridging the gap between fragmented general practitioner services and expensive super-specialist by creating a single-point of medical care for patients’ everyday health needs. Currently through its 16 clinics it offers personalised general physicians including paediatricians to individuals, families and corporate houses. Going by the acceptance of the family doctor model, NationWide will open over 150 clinics across major Indian cities in the next 18 months for which it has raised Rs.25 crore from Norwest Venture Partners (NVP).