Covid-19 - Business News Week

health

Celebrating National Doctors Day: Honoring Dedication and Service

Jul 2, 2024 by Sujata 0 Comments #Covid-19, #National Doctors Day

doctors day

02/07/2024- National Doctors Day is a poignant reminder of the invaluable contributions made by doctors worldwide. Celebrated annually, this day honours the dedication and selfless service of doctors who tirelessly tend to patients, provide essential care, and ensure the well-being of communities.

Doctors are recognized as the backbone of the healthcare system, offering routine medical care and responding heroically to emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored their critical role, highlighting their courage and unwavering commitment during unprecedented challenges.

Amidst ongoing health crises and everyday medical needs, National Doctors Day serves as a tribute to these healthcare heroes, emphasizing their profound impact on society’s health and well-being. Their tireless efforts and sacrifice deserve appreciation and recognition every day.

Comments by Industry Experts

Dr Evita Fernandez, Chairperson and Managing Director, Fernandez

National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on July 1st every year. Fernandez Hospital observed Doctor’s Day at their centres in Hyderabad. Speaking about the relentless efforts put in by the doctor’s fraternity, Dr. Evita Fernandez, Chairperson and Managing Director, the Fernandez Foundation said, “Doctors are often seen as heroes, and rightly so. They save lives, bring new lives into the world, and provide comfort and care to people. But it’s important to remember that doctors are humans, too. They work tirelessly day and night, usually sacrificing their own needs. They are not just heroes but also our fellow human beings. Behind every white coat and stethoscope is someone who has missed family events, let go of holidays, and endured sleepless nights to be there for their patients. They are not just doctors but ordinary individuals, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who have chosen a path of service, often at the cost of their personal lives. Their sacrifices are what makes them extraordinary.”

By: Mr. Vikram Thaploo, CEO-Telehealth, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited

“National Doctors Day is a significant event that honours and remembers the commitment of medical professionals. We value their steadfast dedication to patient care and the critical role they play in preserving the health and welfare of our community. Doctors are the backbone of our healthcare system because of their everlasting compassion, significant competence, and tireless efforts. They are doing everything possible to close the gaps in care and improve patient accessibility, from working in the most rural and far-off locations to implementing telemedicine and other cutting-edge technologies. Making sure they have access to mental health assistance, manageable workloads, and chances for ongoing professional advancement is crucial, especially in light of their busy schedules and the demands of providing healthcare. To lessen the pressures they bear, it is essential to acknowledge their accomplishments, create a supportive work culture, and cultivate an environment that supports professional progression.

By ensuring the health and safety of our medical professionals, we enable them to carry on delivering first-rate care, advancing medical science, and serving as role models for upcoming generations of medical professionals. Let us express our sincere gratitude and steadfast support to the doctors who voluntarily commit their life to treating and mending people on this day and every day.”

By: Mr. Nikkhil K Masurkar, CEO, Entod Pharmaceuticals

“We embrace the theme ‘Healing Hands, Caring Hearts’ on National Doctor’s Day to emphasise the critical role that empathy and dedication play in day-to-day medical practice. We have seen innumerable doctors in India who exhibit these attributes by providing constant support and care. For their patients, doctors are more than just medical professionals—they are sources of love and hope. Their empathy has a profound effect on the mental and physical health of people they assist. We pay tribute to these committed people whose love and generosity have a significant impact. Let’s honour and encourage these medical professionals who, every day, restore countless lives with hope and healing.”

Education

A Nobel Initiative by H. R. College to get Students and Faculty Vaccinated

Jan 28, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #Covid-19, #Dr. Hemalata Bagla, #H. R. College, #HSNC Cluster University, #HSNC University

Team conducting the vaccination drive at H. R. College

Mumbai, 27th January 2022: As education institutes are ready to re-open as per the government guidelines, there is a higher risk of being exposed to the virus due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai. Thus, to ensure minimal threat (in case of exposure) and safer travels, the Rotaract Club and the NSS Unit of H. R. College of Commerce and Economics decided to shoulder the responsibility of encouraging students and faculty to get vaccinated.

Witnessing the spike, Mumbai’s one of the prominent colleges under the HSNC Cluster University, observed the necessity to be fully vaccinated. For seamless operation, H. R. College conducted the vaccination in collaboration with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the college premises.

A student getting vaccinated

Commenting on this initiative Dr. Hemalata Bagla, Vice-Chancellor – HSNC University said, “This was attempted to move towards a COVID free India!” She supported this statement with Henry Ford’s quote, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

This organized effort was undertaken on 21st January 2022, where all the unvaccinated students, teachers and staff members were encouraged to take the shot. More than 100 people benefitted through this noble initiative!

health

Covid 19 causing delay in speech & language developments among toddlers

Jan 27, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #Ashish Sharma, #Corona epidemic, #Covid-19, #Shruti Ghatalia, #speech & language developments, #toddlers, #Zynova Shalby Hospital

Mumbai-: Corona epidemic has been linked to a wide range of ailments in children and even after 3 years, many children are not able to speak clearly. As the baby gets older, parents become impatient to hear his voice. Usually, children start talking slowly after one year. Although they do not speak clearly, they try to speak by constantly hearing words and recognizing the movements of other people’s lips. But according to a survey, in the last two years, children between the ages of 1 and 3 have been plagued by “speech delay”. The same proportion has increased by 2.5 per cent in European countries.

Giving more information about this, Dr. Shruti Ghatalia Consultant Pediatrician & Neonatologist from Zynova Shalby Hospital said, “For the last two years, we have been living in a closed environment, especially for children. This closed environment has adversely affected the speech of toddlers. By the age of 10 – 12 months, the baby starts talking, but if your baby does not speak at least 20 to 25 words at the age of two, or does not speak two sentences at the age of one and a half years, and has difficulty in speaking simple words, or forgets easily, then these are all symptoms of speech delay. There is no reason for parents to panic and good therapies are available and they should seek the help of a paediatrician for this. The surrounding environment always plays an important role in the development of a baby’s speech and language development. If no one is talking to the baby, it is important for the parents to think about how the baby will learn to talk. Work from home is also responsible for this and many times many parents are not able to give time to their children even when they are at home. “

At Zynova Shalby we have also been treating children with growth and development issues, micronutrient deficiencies, failure to gain weight, recurrent respiratory problems, diet and appetite issues, newborn and infant problems where parents and families require guidance, infections and fever-related problems during the past many months. Corona epidemic and lockdown have adverse effects on children of all ages and it is important to know and treat these children’s problems expressed by Dr. Shruti Ghatalia from Zynova Shalby Hospital.

On this occasion Ashish Sharma Business Head- Zynova Shalby Hospital, Ghatkopar Said, “At Zynova Shalby hospital Patients will be receiving continuous expert attention and treatment that matches international standards. The Hospital shares an eminent piece of infrastructure and A grade medical equipment. Moreover, The Hospital offers consultations, surgery, daycare services & 24-hour emergency Response. Highly experienced doctors in specialties like Medicine, surgery, Gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics & neonatology, Orthopedics, physiotherapy, Heart care, dermatology, pulmonology & Neurology are part of the team.”

Mission-Niramayah-Sewa-International-300x200

health

Sewa International equips the nation with Mission Niramayah to combat COVID-19’s third wave

Jan 25, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #Covid-19, #Mission Niramayah, #Sewa International, #Shri Shyam Parande

Sewa International, a global non-profit organization, gears up with the health initiative Mission Niramayah to fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, which began in October 2021, aims to strengthen the understanding of precautions, symptoms, diagnostic measures, and treatment of coronavirus and its variants, especially in rural India.

Sewa International is nurturing a network of health volunteers, called ‘Aarogya Preraks’, to build long-term health resilience across the nation, with 1Lakh+ villages as the target. By the end of January, the organization will reach 1, 00,000 villages with a diagnostic and preventive kit. This will pave the way for early detection of COVID-19 while facilitating isolation and ensuring timely medication to the patients.

Equipping India before the third wave hits the country, the core objective of Mission Niramayah is to aid people in distress and put a check before the situation degenerates due to the pandemic. The healthcare initiative will benefit around 12.5 crore people, across 720+ districts in all 28 states.

Speaking on the initiative, Shri Shyam Parande, Secretary, Sewa International, said, “Sewa International has been working extensively in diverse areas for over two decades. Managing disasters end to end, we have also expanded ourselves in health, education, women empowerment, etc. For the past two years, we all have been grappling with an unseen enemy COVID-19, and the way new variants are unfolding is quite alarming for people with inadequate medical facilities. In the light of current events and to support the nation in this ongoing war against COVID-19, Mission Niramayah has been initiated. When we started working we had the lowest COVID-19 cases, and today we are in the middle of the third wave. We are glad that we are better prepared this time.”

As of today, the kits have already reached 30,000+ villages in the nation, 40,000+ kits are in a transition stage, and 30,000+ are set to reach their destined villages in the next 2 weeks. These kits are being used to identify COVID-19 patients and ensure the isolation of patients.

health

Mankind Pharma continues to serve life through an unparalleled spirit of collaboration to fight Covid-19

Jan 24, 2022 by Gouri 0 Comments #‘Betakind, #Commitment to serving life, #Covid-19, #Joy Chatterjee, #Mankind Pharma’, #SARS-CoV-2

Mankind-Pharma

New Delhi, 24th January 2022: The onset of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019 has affected millions of lives across the globe. Since the beginning of the year, India has observed a sharp rise in Covid-19 infection cases. India is grappling with the third wave of the pandemic. The surge in cases comes with the spread of the new Omicron variant, more transmissible than the Delta variant, which had triggered the second wave. As per reports, In the week ending January 9, India recorded 6,38,872 cases of Covid-19. A significant increase of more than six times – from 1,02,330 cases recorded between December 27 and January 2.

The number of active cases has grown multi-fold as the new wave of the pandemic gripped the nation. The situation over the past two and a half years has created a shock and awe among all. Undoubtedly, it has put a toll on the health infrastructure. This has led healthcare companies to come up with disruptive innovations in the field of pharmacy.

Mankind Pharma, the 4th largest pharmaceutical company in India (As per IQVIA) has been continuously increasing its efforts to contribute to people’s health and wellbeing through various initiatives. In the past two years, the company has launched several products to fight the pandemic and help people throughout the country.

The company continues to thrive on its foundational core, ‘Commitment to serving life’. The company launched a new brand SafeKind with two products —N95 Masks and hand Sanitizer to fight the disease. The mask has been carefully designed to ensure people’s safety while considering the comfort too. The Safekind face mask has a ProGuard 5 layer protection technology that filters out at least 95% of harmful bacteria. As suggested by doctors, N95 masks provide the most effective and comprehensive protection against COVID-19.

The pharma company launched a drug, ‘Betakind’ with the potential to fight COVID-19 and other respiratory viral infections. The Betakind Gargle is used as a mouthwash to kill germs that cause infections of the mouth. It also relieves dryness of the mouth and sore throat. It also expanded its OTC range of products by launching ‘Health OK’, a multivitamin and minerals tablet, which helps in maintaining energy and also assists in improving overall health and building immunity.

The foremost reason behind launching these products is that there is no shortage of products in the market, and people can avail themselves at affordable prices.

The company time to time has also rendered financial aid to citizens around the nation, who all carried out relief work to help out their community amidst the pandemic.

Speaking on the initiatives, Joy Chatterjee, General Manager- sales & marketing, Mankind Pharma, said, “Covid-19 pandemic has been a testing

business

Business Responsibility in COVID-19 pandemic World

Jan 10, 2022 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Business Responsibility, #Corporate Response on Covid-19, #Covid-19, #Covid-19 in India, #CSR, #Post Covid World, #Rusen Kumar

2021 was a year that showed us the true capability that India has, and how much more we can do in 2022.

By Rusen Kumar

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious and unprecedented impact across the economies and society in general, particularly in India. 2021 was different in every aspect and held more than its fair share of challenges. 2021 was a year where India demonstrated that our people come first – when lives depended on ensuring taking all necessary precautions. India implemented numerous initiatives towards ensuring the health, well-being and safety of our people.

India reeled under the new coronavirus pandemic situation that disrupted our collective sense of the normal, and also witnessed a crisis of unprecedented nature and effect. The harsh situation continues to remain serious, and therefore, we should continue to support our people and our communities.

However, India also saw the best of human nature at this time. India continually witnesses magnificent examples of resilience. India’s collective resolve to stand with communities, to inspire hope and healing. India is determined to come out stronger from this pandemic than we have ever been. As a sustainable and responsible India, everything we do is to inspire by a deep sense of purpose.

Our collective values have held us in good stead at this time, and they are the foundation on which we have built our success and results. It is heartening to see India rise to the challenge and continue to make a positive impact on the lives of people. In India, the pandemic situation continues to remain serious, and therefore, we continue to support our people and our communities.

India proved the solidity of the Covid-19 strategy. This has helped India quickly adapt to new ways of being stronger together and gain greater momentum addressing key challenges. Government responses in the year 2022 continue to stand robust, both economic and in terms of meeting and exceeding people’s expectations.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 150.61 Cr on January 8, 2022. India is accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of enough vaccines, advanced visibility of vaccine availability for enabling better planning and streamlining the vibrant vaccine supply chain.

We need to have put in place multiple task forces for people’s hospitalization, medication and vaccination. We need to expand the scope of our employee benefits from medical and term insurance to provide for the families of employees we lost to this terrible virus. Throughout this challenging period, India responded very quickly to prioritize the health and safety of our people and continued to provide a reliable supply of medicines, vaccination and necessary help to the patients across the country.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, India has given COVID Vaccines free of cost to people. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, India will procure and supply (free of cost) 75% of the vaccines being produced by the manufacturers in the country to various states.

The Indian business cemented its strength with its persistent effort to enhance profitability by improving upon the overall quality of the business. During the year 2022, India needs to continually launch new initiatives and economic relief to Covid-19 affected people and businesses. While India has performed well in the year 2021, It has started 2022 on an optimistic note.

People, civil society and businesses, who collectively enable India to create value by helping each other, will keep focusing on India’s strategic priorities and leveraging their strengths. Trust, confidence, and support to government efforts toward Covid-19 are key for overcoming challenges. Notwithstanding the challenges of the times, Indian businesses should continue to think from the heart and act with a high head – to care for people, covid-19 patients and communities.

Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the unexpected and overwhelming year of 2021 that went by affected every aspect of our lives. In the face of this unprecedented volatility, India made proactive investments in people, processes, operations and technologies that tackle the Covid-19, so that India could deliver strong operational performance throughout the year and into the 2022 and future.

Throughout 2021, India worked hard to strengthen the long-term value of people and business, to emerge stronger coming out of the pandemic. This has been possible due to the hard work, perseverance, and commitment of India’s people. Our priority for the year 2022 will remain to ensure the health and safety of our people. Let’s put in place extensive measures to protect our people and their families, yet sadly we lost several of our valued fellow citizens.

All responsible corporate citizens must continue to extend all forms of support to COVID-19 relief efforts. In a year of turmoil, Indian corporations should be proud and humbled to have been able to serve our communities and needy people.

The year 2021 was a year that showed us the true capability that India has, and how much more we can do in 2022. I am very excited about the opportunities ahead for our people and business.

About the Author

Rusen Kumar is the founder and CEO of India CSR – The CSR Informer of India. He regularly writes on CSR, Sustainability and Environmental affairs. He brings an understanding of governance, leadership development, social development, human development, and strategic focus by serving boards. His leadership accomplishments in social enterprise, planning, and governance range from viable achievements in knowledge forum initiatives to advancement of corporate social responsibility issues in India. He can be reached at rusenk@indiacsr.in

Tag: Covid-19

By Rusen Kumar