New Delhi, May 31, 2023. Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) in partnership with Americares India Foundation, a health-focused relief and development organization, announced the successful handover of their project to strengthen 72 primary healthcare centers (PHC) in rural areas in the states of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Haryana. The project is part of a three-year-long partnership between Honeywell and Americares India Foundation to strengthen the health infrastructure being implemented in the three states.
As part of the second year project, Honeywell and Americares India collaborated with the state government to identify local PHCs in need of assistance in the districts of Pune and Nashik of Maharashtra and Mahendragarh, Nuh, and Rewari of Haryana. To analyse these PHCs and identify infrastructural and service shortcomings, a customized evaluation technique was used. Based on the needs indicated in the assessment, Honeywell donated over 20,000 pieces of equipment to these 72 PHCs.
The project was a part of the National Health Policy, the country’s flagship health system strengthening programme, primarily focusing on primary and secondary health care. The objective of the initiative was to identify existing gaps in equipment, instrument, and supplies at the selected local PHCs, provide comprehensive quality health care and diagnostic/ investigative healthcare services and to minimize the referrals to secondary and tertiary healthcare centres.
By the end of March 2023, all the 72 PHCs had undergone infrastructural upgrades and were ready for delivering high-quality healthcare solutions to the rural population. The total investment made by Honeywell for this project amounted to INR 8.5 crores to strengthen 72 PHCs and additional INR 4.5 Crores will be invested in FY 2023-24 towards equipping 40 PHCs in rural India.
Dr. Surendra Yadav, Chief Medical Officer, Rewari, said “Government’s National Health Mission focuses on strengthening the primary and secondary healthcare centres. PHCs play a critical role in ensuring the health and well-being of people and also equitable distribution of quality healthcare services focused on people’s needs.”
Meenakshi Batra, Country Director, Americares India Foundation, added “Infrastructure is a key pillar that supports the primary objective of promoting improved care for all patients in rural areas in the country. Ensuring that health facilities have adequate supplies, equipment and drugs is essential for people to have confidence in health services in the country. By partnering with Honeywell, we were able to successfully address the healthcare needs of patients at the community level.”
Speaking on the success of the project, Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell India said “We are delighted to achieve the milestone of successfully strengthening 72 rural PHCs. Our vision is to improve the lives of communities we serve, and we are working towards making quality healthcare accessible, and equitable to all in rural India. The foundation of primary healthcare centres is to offer comprehensive, affordable, and easily accessible care to all and we are pleased to partner with the government to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure at the grassroots level.”
As part of the project, the PHCs have been refurbished with more than 50,000 different types of modern healthcare equipment and another 40 PHCs are projected to be refurbished by the end of March 2024. The majority of the equipment donated is related to the labor ward, laboratory, opthal and dental units. The equipment donated includes Autoclave Machines, Fetal Dopplers, Centrifuge Machines, Tonometers, Hematology Analysers, Trial frame sets, Semi-auto Analysers, Binocular Microscopes, Dental chairs and accessories, Mobile spotlights, Delivery Tables, and more. Such initiatives play an integral role in strengthening the healthcare infrastructure at the foundational level in the country.
