Biocon Foundation’s eLAJ project wins award

Biocon Foundation’s eLAJ programme was selected as it is an ‘initiative that had the biggest health outcome bang for the buck and effort expended and serves as an inspiration to other organisations whose CSR work is in the area of health

Biocon Foundation, the CSR arm of Biocon, received the Health CSR Project of the Year award for its outstanding contribution to strengthening primary healthcare delivery in India through its eLAJ platform for the benefit of communities with poor access to healthcare. Dr Suchitra Bajaj, Senior Program Manager, Biocon Foundation, received the award at the first annual edition of the CSR Health Impact Awards 2017 recently held in New Delhi.

Biocon Foundation’s eLAJ programme was selected as it is an ‘initiative that had the biggest health outcome bang for the buck and effort expended and serves as an inspiration to other organisations whose CSR work is in the area of health.’

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Managing Trustee, Biocon Foundation, said, “I am pleased that Biocon Foundation’s eLAJ initiative has been bestowed the ‘Health CSR Project of the Year’ Award. At Biocon Foundation, we strongly believe that the use of technology can address the challenges associated with public health delivery in our country. We have taken ahead this belief to develop the unique eLAJ model to facilitate effective preventive and primary healthcare intervention for marginalised communities living in underserved urban and rural areas of India. Through eLAJ smart clinics we aim to ensure the ‘Right to Health’ for these communities.”

As early adopters of technology, Biocon Foundation developed a unique e-healthcare model and introduced the first eLAJ Smart Clinic in Karnataka in 2015 to plug the gaps in public health delivery. The eLAJ Smart Clinics have state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, clinic and patient management software along with trained doctors and technicians. The model has been designed to deliver data-based healthcare on the basis of socio-demographic and health indicators obtained from community-based screenings.

Biocon Foundation currently runs 14 eLAJ smart clinics covering over 30 gram panchayats across Karnataka and Rajasthan. These clinics are paving the way for evidence-based public health interventions in these locations by enabling multiple diagnostic tests and generation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) of patients. They are facilitating on-time treatment, helping reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending and cutting down the need for trips to tertiary hospitals.

In addition to providing patients access to more effective diagnosis and treatment, eLAJ clinics also offer a wide range of preventive medical and early-detection programmes run by the Foundation.