NE HEALTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, JUN 6
Healthcare service provider CIPACA (Chennai Interventional Pulmonology and Critical Care Associates) has aimed to set up and manage 1,000 intensive critical care units cross southern states during the next two years, a top official has said.
The company, which is engaged in setting up ICU facilities by partnering with healthcare service providers, currently manages over 300 ICU beds across Tamil Nadu, according to its founder Dr Raja Amarnath.
Dr Raja Amarnath said the company by partnering with other healthcare service providers offer ICU services to patients particularly in ”rural areas” where such facilities were not available immediately.
“Normally, people in rural areas travel long distances to a top hospital…Only such hospitals will have ICUs. We partner with local hospitals, set up the ICUs as standalone entities.
We are adding years to life…not a year to the people who need care. We are seeing it on a daily basis across CIPACA. We receive so many testimonials…we are very thankful,” he said.
CIPACA also received an award from the Central government as ”India’s Best Rural ICU service provider in New Delhi,” he said.
“This service is not just about business. It is something really more…,” he said.
Asked whether there were similar players offering the service, he said there was no such organisation available in India – it may be like some hospitals may supply equipment, some others may send some doctors to rural areas instead of setting up ICUs like ours.
“Their (hospitals) approach may be different. It will not be like what an organisation like ours that manages over 350 ICU beds…Ours is a unique and first of its kind business model,” he said.
To a query, Amarnath, a pulmonologist for more than two decades, said the company makes investments of about Rs 1 crore for setting up an ICU unit in a hospital which is located in a rural area.
“This initiative is a social entrepreneurship…this is not commercial business. If we had thought about commercial business, we would not have offered our ICU services at affordable rates,” he said.
“It is a life saving venture – in fact, our global tagline is — adding years to life…,” he said.
To a query on plans to set up standalone hospitals instead of setting up ICUs, he said, “the opportunity was huge and our idea is to reach as many people as possible. And that is possible only through a shared economy.”
“If I have to set up a hospital, it will take at least one year including construction, infrastructure after getting the approval from government authorities. It is not an easy process.Fundamentally, we have decided not to set up a hospital on standalone,” he said.
“The plan was not to invest in infrastructure or the equipment and we don’t want to get into that,” he said.
On the expansion plans, he said, “next two years we are concentrating in South India. We want to manage 1,000 ICU beds in Southern India,” he added.
