Equitas Launches Cancer Hospital to Provide Affordable Cancer Care
Chennai, November 2023
Sringeri Sharada Equitas Hospital Multispecialty & Cancer Care was inaugurated by Thiru. Ma. Subramaniam, Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of TN in the presence of Thiru. S.R. Raja, MLA, Tambaram Constituency. The dedicated cancer hospital in Gowrivakkam, Chennai reflects Equitas SFB’s Beyond Banking initiatives to serve the underprivileged sector. The 100-bedded hospital will provide advanced cancer treatment at the most affordable rates to economically challenged segments.
Sringeri Sharada Equitas Hospital, focussed on Cancer cum Multispecialty, is equipped with state-of- the-art facilities and technologies to provide comprehensive cancer care, including surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, immunotherapy, paediatric oncology targeted therapy, physiotherapy and cancer rehabilitation, medical and surgical gastroenterology, critical care, cancer pain management, wellness and lymphedema clinic. All treatments at the facility will be led by a team of highly experienced and qualified oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, and other medical professionals who are committed to offer the best possible care to all patients, irrespective of their stature in the society.
“Cancer is a disease that can have a big impact on families, both emotionally and financially. Through our Primary Health Camps we had observed lack of high quality affordable cancer care” said P.N. Vasudevan, CEO and MD, Equitas Small Finance Bank and Managing Trustee Equitas Healthcare Foundation. “This hospital is a step towards bridging this gap and providing life-saving treatment particularly to patients from underprivileged segments.
Dr. Vaithiswaran Velayoudam, Medical Director of the Hospital said, “Access to treatment for a life- threatening disease like Cancer has been expensive in India. It shows compassion of Equitas and Sringeri Sharada Mutt as they decide to join hands and make Cancer care more accessible and affordable, especially for the underprivileged segment of the society. I am elated to be a part of this journey and create a positive impact for those in need.”
In the words of Mr. Arcot Sravanakumar, President CSR initiatives of the Bank and Program Director Healthcare Initiatives, “This has been a humongous and very sacred project for us. After 7 years of persistent work by our team and great support from all the noble souls, we built this Hospital at Gowrivakkam, Chennai, in collaboration with Sringeri Sharada Mutt through our bank’s 5% contribution and donations from few noble souls. He further continues “Through this hospital, we can provide the best rates that would help all the patients and particularly EWS patients. This will be possible because, it is a capex-free model (the land, building and equipment have been donated) due to which only the operational expenses of the hospital would be factored in the pricing. This will give more comfort on pricing as it would be as affordable as possible, probably around 30 to 50% of the market price. We are happy to share the news that one of the world’s best radiation machines (Linear Accelerator and brachy) is being ordered and expected to be operational from mid-2024”.
The hospital is a joint initiative of Equitas Healthcare Foundation, a part of Equitas SFB’s CSR program and Sringeri Sharada Mutt. Apart from Oncology treatment, the hospital has a 24-hour modern laboratory, Imaging and cancer screening facility and pharmacy along with three ultra-modern operation theatres and ICU. It also has a lifestyle disorder and diabetes clinic where regular wellness and health check-ups can be conducted.
About Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited [ESFB]
Equitas Small Finance Bank is one of the largest small finance banks in India. As a new-age bank, we offer a bouquet of products and services tailored to meet the needs of our customers – individuals with limited access to formal financing channels, as well as affluent and mass-affluent, Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and corporates. Our firmly entrenched strategy focuses on providing credit to the unbanked and underbanked micro and small entrepreneurs, developing products to address the growing aspirations at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’, fuelled by granular deposits and ‘value for money’.
About Author
