In a first of its kind partnership, leading private players including tech-driven Construction, Renovation, Interiors, and Home Maintenance company Housejoy, home healthcare brand Portea Medical, diagnostics provider SRL Diagnostics, apartment management and security solutions provider ApnaComplex, Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF), and ICMR accredited national clinical reference lab Biognosys Technologies, have come together to set up COVID-19 Testing Camps across Bengaluru.
The initiative has been launched in association with the Government of Karnataka and Action Covid Team (ACT) Grants and was inaugurated by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday. ACT Grants is a first-of-its-kind Rs 100 crore grant set up by top fund managers from blue-chip venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital, Accel, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Prominent startup CEOs have also joined hands to back fledgling firms working on products and services to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pilot project will be implemented in 30 societies for 15 days and the partners in the initiative aim to undertake about 18,000 tests within the stipulated timeframe. Depending on the success rate, the initiative will be rolled out across other cities with support from the respective governments.
Speaking about this, Sanchit Gaurav, Founder & CEO, Housejoy, said, “Housejoy is committed to helping its customers and the government in this time of crisis and is a part of the government’s coronavirus rapid action task force. We have been undertaking fumigation services as well as ensuring that people get access to essential items during the pandemic through our initiative Housejoy Mart. Through the COVID Testing Camps, we are supporting the government in tracing people with the condition and ensuring that they are referred for further treatment appropriately. Given that extensive testing is one of the best strategies to combat and prevent this outbreak, I believe our contribution will be a step ahead in the larger efforts. We thank our partners in the initiative and are happy to receive support from ACT towards the same.”
Meena Ganesh, MD, and CEO, Portea Medical said it is a fact that we will need to learn to live with the virus, build our life and livelihood, and move ahead with activities by ensuring strong healthcare support systems around us. This would entail robust testing and taking care of vulnerable sections of society including the elderly, chronic patients, and expectant mothers. “We at Portea Medical are uniquely positioned to provide these, given our years of experience in delivering high quality, technology-enabled home care services. At this time of crisis, it becomes our collective responsibility as organisations to complement the government in its efforts and ensure that we combat the pandemic in the best way possible,” he said.
Meena Ganesh, MD & CEO, Portea Medical with Sanchit Gaurav, Founder & CEO, Housejoy
Prashanth Prakash, Partner Accel, and Member, ACT Grants said the COVID 19 pandemic has brought with it, unforeseen challenges for society, and severe health and socio-economic crises never seen before in our lifetime. One of the most important steps towards combating this pandemic is testing and taking the precautionary steps. “ACT Grants is happy to support Housejoy and other private players in their mission of assisting the government in tracking and testing. We will continue to support innovators with ideas that could act as a force multiplier in the battle against COVID -19,” he added.
Commenting on the initiative, Raja Sekhar Kommu, Co-Founder & CEO, ApnaComplex, said, "ApnaComplex is very glad to do our part in helping the government in testing more citizens. Testing in societies within red zones will help ease the anxiety of residents and help them return to their normal life with confidence. ApnaComplex is proud to be a part of such a noble initiative."
Arindam Haldar, CEO, SRL Diagnostics said as the country continues to grapple with COVID-19 (coronavirus) and its far-reaching implications, it is important to adopt innovative methods that ensure regular healthcare service remains unaffected. “Our association with Housejoy is an effort towards offering the basic testing facility to the citizens residing in Bengaluru via Mobile-vans. The city has already been divided into zones basis the number of active coronavirus cases present in the area which has further limited the access of people & hence it’s important to ensure that healthcare facility is available at the doorstep.”