Category: Health

Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University

Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) in Korea to create medical devices that screen for eye disease by upcycling Galaxy smartphones that are no longer of use. This Galaxy Upcycling program is helping to address approximately 1 billion global cases of vision impairment that are preventable with a proper diagnosis.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people have a form of vision impairment and almost half of these cases were preventable or have yet to be addressed. There is a large disparity in the prevalence of vision impairment depending on the affordability and availability of eye care services. This is estimated to be four times more common in low- and middle-income regions as compared to high-income regions.

“People around the globe face barriers to accessing fundamental health care, and we saw an opportunity to engineer smart, innovative solutions that reuse products to drive more sustainable practices and make a positive impact in our communities,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This program embodies Samsung’s belief that technology can enrich people’s lives and help us build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”

In 2017, Samsung created the Galaxy Upcycling program to introduce innovative ways that Galaxy devices can make a positive impact. Through the program, an older Galaxy smartphone can become the brain of the EYELIKE™ handheld fundus camera, which connects to a lens attachment for enhanced fundus diagnosis, while the smartphone is used to capture images. The Galaxy device then utilizes an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze and diagnose the images for ophthalmic diseases and connects to an app that accurately captures patient data and suggests a treatment regimen at a fraction of the cost of commercial instruments. The unique and affordable diagnosis camera can screen patients for conditions that may lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

“We were looking for an eye health diagnosis solution that was cost-effective to reach as many people as possible, and when we saw the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, we wanted to integrate their upcycling efforts into our research,” said Dr Sangchul Yoon of Yonsei University Health System. “The combination of using multiple optical technologies and artificial intelligence, coupled with camera performance of a Galaxy smartphone, created an affordable medical device that was just as capable as a fundus camera used by medical professionals. This not only solved a health issue but a growing environmental concern as well.”

Since 2018, Samsung has partnered with IAPB and Yonsei University Health System to benefit the lives and vision of more than 19,000 residents in Vietnam with its portable retinal camera. In 2019 alone, it supplied 90 portable ophthalmoscopes to health professionals operating in remote regions of the country without access to walk-in clinics. Now, Samsung has expanded the program to India, Morocco and Papua New Guinea. Samsung is also broadening its capabilities to new screening areas, including using upcycled Galaxy devices to create smartphone-based portable colposcopes to screen for cervical cancer and improve women’s access to quality health care.

SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives

SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives of thousands of girl students.

Under the CSR project, SBI General has funded the construction of 15‘safe space’ restrooms for girls around schools in rural districts of Maharashtra. These restrooms along with the 5 built last year will be used by over 10,000 girls in the coming five years. This will have a two-fold impact: not only will it create a sense of ownership and qualitative change in their hygiene habits, but also increase the attendance of girls at the schools thereby enabling them to complete their education. In addition to this, special workshops on hygiene and sanitation were also conducted for the girls. Going forward, the goal for SBI General and Learning Space Foundation is to ensure that every school in rural Maharashtra has a safe space restroom. SBI General Insurance has partnered with Palghar based NGO, Learning Space Foundation (LSF) for this project.

Shefali Khalsa, Head – Brand & Corporate Communication, SBI General Insurance said, “At SBIG, we follow a defined CSR strategy which focuses on various areas and segments. One of the key focus areas is education for the underprivileged. Contributing to this area aiming at girl students’ education, hygiene and wellbeing, we had initiated this project. In this region, what really stood out to us was the very high school drop-out rates of adolescent girls from agricultural and tribal communities. One of the main reasons for drop-out was the lack of sanitation facilities at Zilla Parishad Schools”.

She added, “We are hopeful that our contribution and this CSR initiative will support some bit of drop-outs and will enable girl students to continue their education.”

Besides giving access to sanitation facilities, through partnership, the girl students were also trained and encouraged to embrace menstrual hygiene practices.

Addressing the nation from ramparts of Red Fort on 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said three corona vaccines are in various stages of trial in India and a large-scale production will begin after getting nod from scientists

Addressing the nation from ramparts of Red Fort on 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said three corona vaccines are in various stages of trial in India and a large-scale production will begin after getting nod from scientists.

The roadmap to bring corona vaccine to all Indians in shortest possible time is also ready, he said and hailed ‘corona warriors’.

“Everyone has one question, when will corona vaccine be ready? This question is there in the hearts of everyone across the world. But I want to tell you, our scientists are working hard like ‘rishi muni’ (saints) in the labs ,” Modi said.

“In India, not one or two but three vaccines are in various stages of trial. Large scale production will begin after getting approval from our scientists. The preparation for this is fully ready,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said a roadmap to bring corona vaccine to all Indians in shortest possible time is also ready.

“We are going through a unique situation because of coronavirus pandemic. ..We will achieve victory over coronavirus with resolve of people of country,” he added.

India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed 24 lakh on August 14 after 64,553 more people tested positive and the recoveries rose to over 17 lakh, according to the Health Ministry.

Hyderabad-based BBG Foundation, a CSR arm of south India’s land developer Building Blocks Group (BBG), today said it has donated face masks and hand sanitizer to vulnerable people in 45 villages

Hyderabad-based BBG Foundation, a CSR arm of south India’s land developer Building Blocks Group (BBG), today said it has donated face masks and hand sanitizer to vulnerable people in 45 villages.

As many people lost their jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Foundation has also created livelihood to Self Help Groups (SHG) in the villages by ordering masks, it said in a statement.

For instance, the Foundation was able to ensure remuneration of about Rs 15,000 to each members of Sri Anjaneyam Self Help Group (SHG) belonging to Sri Sai Village Organization (VO) that was engaged in stitching masks.

Sanitizer was also provided to all Anganwadi Centers. ANM sub-centers too were provided with the sanitizer bottles by the foundation.

BBG Managing Director and the Foundation Chairman Mallikarjun Reddy said that the company believes in adding value and giving back to the society. “We presume contributing to society is an extension of our core practices,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Foundation has collaborated with ANM, ASHA workers and Anganwadi teachers to help people during the COVID-19.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months.

The Centre which has been operational since April 3, 2020 is one of the first such centres in Uttar Pradesh and has played a critical role in responding to citizen queries in the wake of the pandemic, the company said in a statement.

HCL set up the “all in one” control room, reachable on toll free number 18004192211, at one of its facilities in Noida, with support from the GB Nagar district administration, the police, the health department and both Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority.

The centre has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries since it began operations,it said.

The data analysis of the call volume, the company said reveal that over majority of the calls received have been food related (60 percent) with callers requesting for information on ordering groceries online or dry ration and cooked meals support.

The Control Room also responded to 15 percent queries related to Health Services, including questions around e-pass for hospital visits, ambulance related services and pharmacy options.

About 21 percent of the total calls were related to other queries including information on masks and sanitizer availability, ATM accessibility etc. Remaining 4 percent calls were police related.

HCL employees have been supporting the call centre operations on 24×7 basis while keeping in mind the required social distancing norms.

According to HCL, the centre’s focus has also been on screening callers and queries before referring them to a team of doctors appointed by the government for further course of recommendation.

About 12 percent of the total health related calls received were therefore, referred for doctor consultation.

The control Centre also included processes for following up and reporting of all unconfirmed, suspected, foreign return cases as well as mobile tracking and monitoring for all home and hotel quarantine cases basis inputs from official government authorities, it added.

Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals

Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment in India through the company’s distribution network, Jubilant Life Sciences said in a statement.

“Remdesivir is an effective medicine in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. In this critical situation, I am pleased that this medicine was made available by Jubilant in the quick time of two and a half months,” the company quoted the CM as saying.

“It gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction to present ?JUBI-R’, the life-saving medicine, to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath,” Jubilant Life Sciences Chairman Shyam S Bhartia said.

The company is donating 1000 vials of JUBI-R through its CSR arm, the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, he added.

In May 2020, Jubilant entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., that granted it the right to register, manufacture and sell Gilead’s investigational drug remdesivir in 127 countries including India, the company said.

As Mumbai experiences heavy rainfall amid COVID-19 pandemic, private sector insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance today said it distributed 7,000 raincoats and 15,000 face masks to traffic police officials in the financial capital

As Mumbai experiences heavy rainfall amid COVID-19 pandemic, private sector insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance today said it distributed 7,000 raincoats and 15,000 face masks to traffic police officials in the financial capital, Navi Mumbai, and Thane.

The company, in a statement, said it has distributed N95 masks which are washable and reusable, while the raincoats are made of 100 percent pure polyester fabric and are fully sealed, waterproof and moisture resistant for complete protection from the rains.

Speaking on the initiative, ICICI Lombard Executive Director Sanjeev Mantri said the traffice police personnel are braving unpredictable city rains amid the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure smooth traffic flow. It is they who ensure round the clock road safety and make sure that the city keeps moving.

Considering the need to protect these ‘Guardians of Road Safety’, he said, “We have come forward and distributed raincoats and masks to the traffic police personnel. This initiative is a natural extension to our commitment to road safety. It is our small token of gratitude for their relentless contribution and a salute to their spirit.”

Maharasthra Police Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Madhukar Pande expressed gratitude towards ICICI Lombard for providing Mumbai Traffic Police 5,000 rainwear and 10,000 N95 masks.

ICICI Lombard through its flagship CSR Campaign “Ride to Safety” works towards the safety and well-being of people on 2 wheelers. It focuses on children as pillion riders and provides them specially designed ISI marked helmets. In the recent years, it has expanded the scope to distribute helmets among parents as well, to provide protection to the entire family and encourage helmet usage.

Eaton India Foundation, the CSR arm of global power management company Eaton, today said it is closely working with the local police in several cities and taking care of their safety and hygiene kits. The Foundation, in a statement

Eaton India Foundation, the CSR arm of global power management company Eaton, today said it is closely working with the local police in several cities and taking care of their safety and hygiene kits.

The Foundation, in a statement, said it is also providing frontline workers with healthcare and safety equipment, migrants and daily wagers with essentials like meals and ration kits amongst other causes.

That apart, Eaton’s employees have also been working with the foundation’s existing education projects to take the content online, minimizing disruption in school education for the disadvantaged.

The relief work is being done in Pune, Puducherry, Coimbatore, Ranjangaon, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai with plans to reach out to more areas soon.

Commenting on the relief work, Eaton India HR Director Ashish Kapoor said amidst the uncertainty, Eaton has taken adequate precautions to ensure our employees’ safety and well-being both on location and in remote work environments.

“However, we are well aware of the Covid-19 warriors amongst us who face high risks daily to keep us healthy and our cities safe and clean. We have also witnessed the plight of the vulnerable communities who have been impacted the most in this challenging phase,” he said.

It is a time when everyone need to stand and support a section of the society which needs assistance. “Through our little contribution, we hope to have brought respite to some,” he added.

Eaton’s CSR programs in India began when the company started operations in Pune in 1999. For more than two decades, Eaton has been leading various CSR and community initiatives in the country – in education, health and environment.

In 2015, Eaton India Foundation – a public charitable trust, was established to further streamline and broad-base Eaton’s community efforts in India.

Currently the Foundation serves communities in all major Eaton locations in India, impacting more than 17,000 school and college students, more than 400 plus destitute, 1200 families and cumulative volunteer support from 1900 plus Eaton volunteers.

State-owned Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) has given its main auditorium to the Kerala government for converting it into a 100-bed COVID hospital. The auditorium ‘M K K Nayar Hall’ has been allotted

State-owned Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) has given its main auditorium to the Kerala government for converting it into a 100-bed COVID hospital.

The auditorium ‘M K K Nayar Hall’ has been allotted for setting up a Covid First-Line Treatment Center (CFLTC) by Eloor Municipality to accommodate 100 beds, the Fertilizer Ministry said in a statement.

FACT has also supplied required cots, beds, mattresses, etc. for this purpose, it said.

The company’s Chairman and Managing Director Kishor Rungta handed over the material to Eloor municipality chairperson C P Usha.

The company is supporting the Kerala government in its fight against COVID-19 as part of its CSR initiative.

Japanese photography and imaging major Fujifilm today said it has donated around 200 Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) kits to healthcare professionals at the Holy Spirit hospital in Mumbai. To combat the spread of the disease

Japanese photography and imaging major Fujifilm today said it has donated around 200 Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) kits to healthcare professionals at the Holy Spirit hospital in Mumbai.

To combat the spread of the disease, Fujifilm is providing these essential PPE kits to doctors, which include surgeon gown, face mask, gloves, preventive eye wear, hood cap and shoe cover, an official statement said.

Commenting on this, Fujifilm India Pvt Managing Director Mr. Haruto Iwata said: “We all are witnessing an unprecedented and difficult time of our lives due to COVID-19 global pandemic. As Mumbai battles the highest number of coronavirus cases in India, we wanted to show our support to the healthcare professionals and salute these health warriors for stepping up for the country selflessly.”

In addition, the company is installing Computed Radiology, Digital Radiology systems and imagers across isolation wards at hospitals to ensure effective monitoring and controlling the disease outbreaks. These technologies will empower clinicians to improve efficiency and expedite the early diagnosis of the disease.