A leading healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East and India, Aster DM Healthcare is bringing solace to needy people as part of Corporate Social Responsibility
Credit: Shalet James Images: Various sources
Recent news of a baby girl becoming the smallest child in the world to have successfully undergone a simultaneous live-donor liver and kidney transplant gained much attention worldwide. The well-experienced team of doctors who performed the highly-complex surgery belonged to Aster Medcity, Kochi that lives up to its slogan – “We’ll Treat You Well.” Aster Medcity has always been in the limelight for its impeccable healthcare services. All credit goes to Dr Azad Moopen who is the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Foundation. With an aim to help the marginalised and needy in the society, Dr Azad Moopen has set aside 20% of his wealth for philanthropic activities that benefits Indians, Indian expatriates in the Gulf countries, citizens of other geographies including Afghanistan, Philippines and Africa. Today, all the philanthropic works are done under Aster DM Foundation that includes the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Aster DM Healthcare, Aster Medcity, Aster DM Foundation, Dr Moopen’s Family Foundation and various programs of MIMS Charitable Trust. Established and endowed as a non-profitable and philanthropic organisation, Aster DM Foundation has introduced many CSR initiatives aimed at empowering women, helping economically disadvantaged, young, elderly and disabled.
Creating Benchmarks
The first of its kind “Standalone Community Dialysis Centre” was established by Dr Moopen in Kerala. AsterMedcity’s flagship programme helps in improving the quality of life of kidney patients who cannot afford the treatment expenses and need regular hemodialysis for survival. With more than 10 Community Dialysis centre set up in Kerala, about 2,21,355 Dialysis have been conducted till date. “We strongly believe that it is our duty to extend helping hand to those in need of medical care but can’t afford it. Apart from providing healthcare services in India, Aster also runs medical camps in Jordan for the Syrian refugees and are sending containers of food to famine affected African countries. Now, we are in the process of organising the Aster Volunteers team in India and abroad to help those in need,” said Dr Azad Moopen, Founder and Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare.
In the year 2017, Aster completes three decades of compassionate care and the year is dedicated as the “Year of Giving” back to the community. As part of Aster’s 30th Anniversary, a healthcare initiative “Aster Volunteers” which focuses on spreading hope and inspiring people to look out for each other has been started. Aster is proposing to conduct free Surgeries, Consultation and Diagnostic investigations through this mission.
Bringing Smiles
Aster DM Foundation runs a unique programme called Aster Sick Kids Foundation (ASK) which focuses on medical needs of the marginalised children below the age of 18. It was set up 3 years ago with the sole intention of providing world standard care to all children irrespective of their socio-economic background. ASK has provided subsidised treatment for marginalised children worth Rs 45 lakhs so far that includes life-saving cardiac surgeries, intensive care treatment, neonatal care and disability correction surgeries such as cleft lip, orthopaedic deformity corrections and hearing aids. Commenced operations in the Kochi Campus of AsterMedcity, the activities of ASK has now extended to hospitals out of the Aster umbrella as well to different states. The ASK Foundation involves community volunteers in both Implementations of projects as well as sourcing of funds. In the Kochi campus, it has the distinction of leading a programme whereby the parents of the children being treated under the ASK umbrella only pay 25% of the total cost of treatment.
Improving Lives
Dr Moopen’s Foundation has established number of Early Diseases Detection and Cancer Screening Centres (EDDCs) in association with Aster DM Foundation. These centres receive technical and medical support from Aster DM Healthcare facilities in Kerala, such as Aster Medcity, Kochi and Aster MIMS, Calicut. The centres work to create awareness among people about cancer and the need for early detection by providing comprehensive check-up. All the services are provided free for the economically marginalised people or at a highly subsidised rate. More than 1,00,000 people have been benefitted from the programme.
Spreading Wings
Programmes of the Aster DM Healthcare Foundation is reached out to remote villages of Kerala like -Nelliyampathy in Palakkad, Poazhuthana in Wayanad, Perumanna in Kozhikode &KadamakkudyinErnakulam where they are providing free cancer detection services and treatment supports. Aster DM Healthcare has also set up schools for special needs in Kalpakanchery, Institute for local empowerment and students training at Malappuram, Women empowerment centre in Kottayam, Early disease detection and cancer screening centres in Haripad, Kannur &Trikaripur. Extending their services to other states, Aster DM Healthcare has supported and helped people living in the outskirt areas of Jharkhand and Kolkata by setting up mobile clinics and primary health centres. Road Safety Campaigns, Free BLS Awareness Training, Blood Donation Drives and Organ Donation Pledges and Awareness are other CSR programmes of the Group.
Exploring New Paths
In the financial year 2017-18, the ASK Foundation is planning to spent Rs 1 Crore apart from what volunteers raise as crowd funding. During the last year, community volunteers raised 32 lakhs in a single instance of crowdfunding to enable double organ transplants. The money will be spent on sponsoring 25% of the cost of life-saving and correctional surgeries, by adopting the healthcare of all the children in school in lower income group area, and by offering cancer care/cure interventions. Neonatal support also calls for larger expense outlays. The majority of the engagement will be at the AsterMedcity, Kochi as the Foundation’s tie up with the hospital ensures an additional 50% write off on the patient’s bill. In addition to continuing the work in paediatric cardiac interventions and deformity corrections, the Foundation is all set to adopt a primary school in the coastal belt and cater not only to the medical needs of the children in that school but also focus on providing support in areas of nutrition, hygiene and health awareness.