Surgery Support
Ekam Foundation Mumbai is committed to the well-being of every child irrespective of economic status, race, and religious background with the main verticals being health and education.
Under it’s flagship Surgery Support Programme, Ekam Foundation Mumbai, with its wide outreach programme, has been successfully able to reach out to children from the underprivileged section of the society in need of tertiary healthcare, and arrange for quick, effective and valuable treatment on time. Hence, the support to beneficiary families is not just limited to financial assistance but also includes a quick turnaround and timely intervention as a last mile funder. The objective of the programme is to arrange subsidised elective surgeries for a variety of medical conditions to ensure positive health outcomes, such as congenital heart diseases, orthopaedic problems, eye and ear ailments and for heart and liver transplants through a network of both public and private hospitals.
Ekam Foundation Mumbai has propagated its helpline number to key stakeholders like Community Development Officers, Doctors, Health Workers, Medical Officers, Anganwadi-Sevika and School Teachers. Upon identifying children from underprivileged backgrounds, needing hospitalisation and surgery support, they get referred to the Ekam helpline, which acts as a guidance and counselling centre. Ekam Foundation Mumbai runs due diligence to verify the economic background of the family and medical history of the child and prescribed line of treatment and cost.
Need For The Programme
The National Health Profile (2017) published by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence states that about a quarter of all rural households and one in five urban families in India are forced into debt or the sale of assets to meet hospitalisation costs. There is a wide gap between the demand and supply of secondary and tertiary Public Healthcare. Consequently, families sometimes have to forgo essential treatment that can restore the quality of a child’s life. Each year India loses more than 1 million babies under the age of 1 year. Greater than 95% of these deaths can be prevented with access to good healthcare. It is therefore imperative to provide the poor with access to quality healthcare. Pew Research Centre, using World Bank data, has estimated that the poor population in India has more than doubled to 134 million from 60 million in just a year due to the pandemic-induced recession.
Objectives
Our Surgery Support Programme seeks to bring together children from disadvantaged sections of society and public and private healthcare providers in order to provide the children with affordable, timely and quality healthcare.
Our Goal
To save a child’s life by timely medical intervention.
For Whom
Infants and children up to 18 years of age from migrant populations and economically weak families that are in need of life-saving surgeries and therapy.
How
By providing financial aid for surgeries and therapies.
The Beneficiary Approval Process
- The Patient Welfare Officer mans the 24/7 dedicated helpline, which acts as the guidance and counselling centre for children and their families in need
- The Patient Welfare Officer looks into the socio-economic status and the medical history of the applicant
- The medical history of the child is communicated to the Medical Director
- Parents are requested to contribute in whatever small amount they can; they are also advised to seek partial funding from other NGOs, while Ekam acts as a last-mile funder by making available the remaining amount for the treatment. In rare instances, Ekam Foundation Mumbai may support the entire cost of the treatment depending on the treatment cost and the family’s economic position
- The Medical Director and Medical Committee members assess the history of the ailing child, and their socio-economic status to approve Ekam Foundation Mumbai’s financial support
- After seeking approval from the National Medical Director, the Patient Welfare Officer hands over an acknowledgement letter to the treating hospital
- Post-surgery/treatment, availing one-month credit period, Ekam Foundation Mumbai makes payment to the hospital directly. No payment is made to the beneficiary’s family. The hospital is requested to acknowledge receipt of payments for maintaining the audit trail
Our Impact
5500+ (Patients across 23 states) (Since 2018)
Surgery Support Programme (SSP)
900+ (Students across 23 states) (Since 2020)
Ekam Education Programme (EEP)
10000+ beneficiaries (17 hospitals & 31 schools Supported) (Since 2021)
Institutional Capacity Building (ICB)
12000+ (Sessions) (Since 2015)
School Health Programme (SHP)
FAQ'S
- 1) What is this Ekam Surgery Support programme about?
Through the Surgery Support Programme, Ekam Foundation Mumbai reaches out to disadvantaged children in need of medical care, providing timely, effective, and valuable treatment.
- 2) This programme covers which medical conditions?
SSP supports all types of patients and covers every and any medical condition the patient is suffering from.
- 3) Where can I find the Ekam Helpline number?
Ekam Mumbai shares helpline numbers with key stakeholders such as community development officers, doctors, health workers, medical personnel, Anganwadi-Sevika, and school teachers. Once identified, disadvantaged children requiring hospitalization or surgery are referred to Ekam Foundation Mumbai’s hotline. The helpline acts as an orientation and advice centre. The Foundation is conducting due diligence to ascertain the family's financial background and medical history of the child, as well as the prescribed lines of treatment and costs.
- 4) What is the right time to avail the SSP beneficiary?
Ekam Foundation Mumbai believes the best time to avail SSP is in the early stages of a patient’s diagnosis for the best possible outcome of the corresponding treatment.
- 5) What is the minimum family income needed to avail the SSP beneficiary ?
There is no minimum family income criterion to avail SSP. Ekam Foundation Mumbai does a thorough screening of the patient’s case and support is offered accordingly.
- 6) How many patients and states in India have been served by SSP?
Since its establishment, Ekam Foundation Mumbai has reached over 5,500 children in over 200 hospitals in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in 23 states of India, providing timely and quality care in both public and private hospitals.
- 7) How can rural people avail of this programme?
Anyone in India can reach Ekam Foundation Mumbai on our helpline 8591621530
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