Healthcare has come knocking on the door for close to one lakh women in Shoolagiri and nearby villages in Hosur, thanks to two newly installed state-of-the-art technologies at its government Upgraded Primary Health Centre (UPHC).

The portable, easy to use, machines designed to screen cervical and breast cancer among vulnerable women, will allow hospital staff to conduct door to door awareness programmes and examinations in the privacy of people’s homes.

The life-changing project is a joint initiative by Rotary club of Tirchengodu Redrock, Rotary Club of Hosur Sipcot, Rotary club of Hosur Angels and Genworks, a Bengaluru-based healthcare technology firm. Rotary club of Hosur Angels is an all women club started 3 years ago with a club strength of 55 membership have initiated in getting camps setup and doing Screening.

“These devices will benefit the entire population living in and around the Shoolagiri area,” said Dr N.M. Vennila, block medical officer, UPHC. “We will begin our door-to-door awareness and screening programme in neighbouring villages shortly,” said Dr Vennila.

The Shoolagiri UPHC, with 10 doctors on its payroll, acts as a referral centre
for the five neighbouring primary health centres. “We will be conducting
three awareness camp every month in villages to familiarise people with the machines,” said Saravanana Rajamani, a rotary member who looks after the medical project.

“Our aim is to target six nearby villages in the first three months after segregating people age-wise. We will be focusing only on people above the
age of 15,” said Rajamani.  The devices are expected to screen up to 500 patients a month, at the hospital. “The hearing impairment gadget is expected to benefit 100 new born babies a month,” he said.

All the three devices were officially dedicated to the hospital at a function
held recently. The event was preceded by a similar event at Tiruchengode government hospital, located about 184 kms from Hosur.

AI: the gamechanger

The three devices donated at the Tiruchengode hospital have come as a huge relief for the hospital staff who have been relying on clinical screening, till date. “The advantage with these machines is that, since they are AI (artificial intelligence) enabled, we can generate reports with greater accuracy and speed. Interpreting data will also be a lot easier,” said K Prakash, pediatrician, neonatal unit, at the hospital. According to him the devices will also allow the hospital to bring down the number of referrals to district hospitals by less than 10 per cent.

According to Ganesh Prasad, Founder, MD & CEO, Genworks, the technology partner, which provided the machines, post-covid, there is a greater emphasis on early health screening. “Today we are moving towards a wellness mindset, especially for women and newborns. Government too is taking a major initiative in these two areas,” said Prasad.

“Genworks will provide training for doctors and paramedics on how to use the machines. The devices will help a paramedic connect with a specialist doctor working elsewhere, remotely,” said Prasad. “Our mission is to provide healthcare connectivity at every primary health centre in the country
through technology,” he added.