The eGov Foundation launched the 10BedICU project across 23 districts of Assam on 26 June in the presence of Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister, Assam and Keshab Mahanta, health minister, Assam at GMCH Auditorium, Guwahati.
The 10BedICU project is an initiative aimed at revolutionizing ICU critical care in district hospitals across India. The project aims to bridge healthcare gaps and make critical care accessible to all, including the most remote regions of the country. The project is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the department of health and family welfare, Assam, eGovernments foundation, and Karuna trust.
Under this initiative, 10BedICU wards were created in government hospitals of 23 districts across Assam, resulting in a total of 365 ICU beds across the state. In addition, three TeleICU Hubs will be established at prestigious medical institutions, including Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), and Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh (AMCH).
The funding for the 23 ICUs has been provided by Vinod Khosla and HDFC Parivarthan, while the implementation of the project involves the collaborative efforts of eGovernments Foundation & Karuna trust and notable industry partners including Hamilton Medical, and Google Cloud.
Initially conceived as a response to the devastating second wave of covid-19, the 10BedICU project has grown from a relief initiative into a comprehensive system-strengthening endeavor. In the last 24 months over 200 10BedICUs have been created in the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Puducherry.
In anticipation of the launch, Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his enthusiasm stating, “This innovative initiative by 10BedICU not only has created valuable critical care infrastructure in Assam but also through innovative use of technology connected our specialist in medical colleges to the remote ICUs through cloud technology.”
Echoing this sentiment, Keshab Mahanta affirmed, “The 10BedICU project is a good initiative that will provide access to critical care facilities to our people closer to their homes. It will help reduce the burden on families.”
Srikanth Nadhamuni, chairman of the 10BedICU project and founder CTO Aadhaar, also shared his thoughts, stating, “Through a careful design involving medical equipment, Care software, and TeleICU cloud access, we attempt to transform critical care in Assam and make it accessible to all. We are indeed delighted to witness the launch of 10BedICUs in 23 districts and the TeleICU launch in Guwahati, Silchar, and Dibrugarh – by the chief minister of Assam.”
One of the project’s most promising aspects is the Tele-ICU Hub and spoke model, where specialist doctors from medical colleges are able to provide consultations online for resource-constrained and remote locations. This approach is made possible by eGovernments Foundation‘s acclaimed Care platform, which the UN has recognized as a digital public good. Built on a cloud-based, open-source patient management tool, the care platform revolutionizes healthcare delivery, ensuring enhanced patient care and improved outcomes.
