ICICI Lombard introduces free Covid-19 testing for the underprivileged
- Partners with Apollo Health & Lifestyle and Metropolis Healthcare
Mumbai, April 1, 2020: ICICI Lombard General Insurance, one
of India’s leading non-life insurance companies, has introduced a unique CSR
program to curtail the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. Harnessing its experience
and relationships in the healthcare space, it has partnered with Apollo Health
& Lifestyle Ltd., subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. and
Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. to curtail Covid-19 infections among India’s
underprivileged populace. As part of the exercise, it will fund the entire
screening procedure, including the testing kits required for examining probable
cases infected with Covid-19. It has committed a sum of Rs. 5 crore for the initiative that will benefit the underprivileged
section of the society.
A Covid-19 test currently costs ₹ 4,500, which includes cost of testing kit,
sample collection from home, diagnosis, generating test
results etc.
As such, the initiative will benefit over 11,000 underprivileged citizens, who
show symptoms of the virus and hence need to be tested on priority. Further, if
testing kits costs come down, the initiative will benefit an even larger
section of this community. The exercise will cover Antyodaya
Ration card and BPL Ration card holders.
Bhargav Dasgupta, MD & CEO, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, said “In these challenging times,
the underprivileged section of the society is highly vulnerable to Covid-19
pandemic. Their timely screening is the first step to curtail the spread of the
virus. Being a leading health insurer, we thought of harnessing our
relationships with healthcare service providers. We believe that our partnership
with Apollo Health & Lifestyle and Metropolis Healthcare should add to the
Government efforts towards expanding theCovid-19 screening infrastructure for India’s
masses.”
Ms. Sangita
Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Health & Lifestyle Ltd.said: “We commend this
initiative by ICICI Lombard to partner with other members in the healthcare
ecosystem. Early screening of probable Covid-19 can make all the difference to
our efforts in curtailing this pandemic. At Apollo Health & Lifestyle, we
are geared up to this initiative that will truly benefit India’s
underprivileged populace.”
Ms.Ameera Shah, Managing Director, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. said: “We are happy to partner with
ICICI Lombard for this very important cause. The underprivileged section of the
society needs to be screened for any Covid-19 infection, in time, to prevent
further outbreak.We will initiate the screening activity in Maharashtra.
Further, we will expand the reach of this initiative to other states in the
coming days.”
ICICI Lombard, Apollo Health & Lifestyle and Metropolis
Healthcare will work towards creating awareness about the initiative among the
beneficiaries through their various mass reach platforms. The endeavour should
significantly contribute to the government’s efforts towards curtailing the
spread of the virus among the masses.
About ICICI Lombard General Insurance
Company Ltd.
ICICI Lombard is one of the largest non-life private insurer in
India based on gross direct premium income in fiscal 2019. We offer our
customers a comprehensive and well-diversified range of products, including
motor, health, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering and liability
insurance, through multiple distribution channels. More details are available
at www.icicilombard.com.
About Apollo Health and
Lifestyle Ltd:
Apollo Health and
Lifestyle Ltd., headquartered in Hyderabad was launched by the Apollo Hospitals
Group in the year 2000 with an integrated approach - encompassing family health
clinics, hospitals for women & children, fertility, diabetes management,
diagnostics, short stay surgeries, pharmacies, dental, condition-focused
clinics. With presence at each touch point of the healthcare delivery chain,
AHLL has served many patients through 2500+ doctors in the last 20
years.
With the key aim “to
bring medical care closer to the home of the patient, bridging the gap between
tertiary care and the home”, AHLL has established the nation's largest network
for day-to-day healthcare that can be delivered outside large format hospital
settings.
About Metropolis Healthcare Ltd.
Metropolis Healthcare Ltd is a leading diagnostics company in
India with a widespread presence across 19 states in India. Metropolis touches
millions of lives each year by providing actionable health insights to patients
and doctors. Metropolis offers a comprehensive range of 4000 plus tests and
profiles that include advanced tests in diagnosis of cancer, neurological
disorders, infectious diseases and an array of genetic abnormalities.
Metropolis philosophy rests on the pillars of technological superiority, a warm
patient centric approach and reliable diagnostic reports.
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