Bengaluru, 17 June 2021: QNET, Asia’s leading direct selling company, through its CSR arm, RYTHM Foundation has joined hands with a group of young entrepreneurs in Bangalore to convert a non-operational hospital into a free Covid Care Health Centre through Project CoHeal. The funding from QNET has helped transform the disused Rajiv Gandhi Medical Hospital building in R.T Nagar into a 100-bed Covid Care facility that provides free, round-the-clock care to those who need it the most. 

Project CoHeal is the brainchild of the young entrepreneurs behind Bangalore based technology firm Globals Inc who joined hands with the Rotary Club Manyata and Presidency University to launch this as a joint CSR initiative. 

Amruta Desai, the Executive Director of Globals explains how the project came into being.

“It was very unfortunate and sad to see people around us losing their lives simply due to a lack of oxygen. We reached out through our resources to import oxygen concentrators and put them to use. We realised just by doing this we were helping a lot of people who needed the oxygen” says Desai.

What began as efforts to import and provide oxygen concentrators for patients, soon evolved into the idea of adding to the healthcare infrastructure within the area. Project CoHeal was born with the aim of creating a more sustainable solution for the future while also addressing the urgent need of the hour – a healthcare facility for the community with skilled manpower.

The support from QNET’s Indian business facilitated by the company’s CSR arm, the RYTHM Foundation has helped equip the hospital with Oxygen Concentrators, HFNC ICU Ventilators, and also covers the payroll for the doctors and nurses of the hospital for the next 6 months.

This 24-hour COVID care hospital has zero cash counters, assuring patients that treatment is 100% free. It is also in the process of incorporating a dedicated paediatric wing as well as building intensive care unit (ICU) capabilities. Other facilities in the hospital include a clinic, elevators for stretchers, oxygen flow meters, pharmacy, lobby, X-Ray, washroom, AC, parking zone, and doctor’s lounge.

“We are so thankful to RYTHM Foundation for this aid because one of the things we wanted to do was convert 15 high dependency units into ICUs. We are currently taking in mild to moderate cases of patients, but if these cases get critical, they may require ICU support and the use of ventilators. Now with this contribution, we have at least a minimum of 4 ICU beds that can be set up immediately.”

The Project CoHeal facility opened its doors on May 24, 2021, and was set up at record speed in a space of barely 7 days through the joint efforts of the team at Globals, Presidency University, and the Rotary Club of Manyata. QNET stepped in to help in early June to support with scaling the facilities.

Commenting on the initiative, Rishi Chandiok, Regional Director (South Asia) for QNET said, “Project CoHeal is a great example of organisations coming together to fight COVID. As the name of the project suggests, the objective is to redirect the fears of COVID and its consequences towards a more positive focus on ‘co-healing’ or healing together. Setting up a hospital, especially during this time, is not an easy task. But Project CoHeal is testament that if you have the will and the intention to do something good for the community, you will find the right partners and support to help you reach the goal. We commend the team at Globals for working tirelessly to pull this off in record time and help so many people in need.”

Project CoHeal has also received the approval and support from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which lists Project CoHeal as an option for people to avail of for its medical care services.