Our Bureau
New York, NY
Dr. Raj Bhayani joined the Health Council of the WHEELS Global Foundation in April 2021 and has been an active member of the fund-raising committee and Chair of Liaison Committee connecting with membership of the several Indian Physicians Association as well as AAPI. The Chair of Health Council Dr Raj Shah has completely transformed the India Health initiative along with other eminent team members including Rajat Gupta.
The WHEELS Health Council was in full gear throughout this year of the pandemic. With the active solicitation of our many volunteers and the very able guidance of the health council, we implemented 315 Telemedicine Operations in partnership with EVOLKO – a telemedicine platform vendor applying AI/ML for diagnostics and healthcare. Bihar has 155 and Uttar Pradesh has 88 telehealth clinics.
The model labeled Healthcare Easy Access for Rural communities through Telemedicine (HEART) offers local individual operators to earn a fair wage, experience an entrepreneurial venture, and serve the community, including free Home Testing and health monitoring to detect early stages of critical illness and provide at a cost affordable fee for remote consultation with medical specialists, providing a prescription for treatment and required drugs that villagers can acquire at zero cost supplied by the Govt. The health monitoring continues after treatments or surgical procedures at district hospitals. This implementation of 315 telemedicine units by the Health council has impacted about 1.8 million people with each operation serving a rural area with a population of approx. 5,000. The Health Council also helped to work with the Rotary clubs in Aurangabad with Oxygen Concentrators to help meet their local requirements.
In acknowledging the assistance provided by WGF, the Rotary Club newsletter read “…. In these unprecedented times, when there is much pain and suffering all around, there are still individuals and organizations that are selflessly helping people in need in whatever way they can. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WHEELS Global Foundation has been working with NGOs in the US and India to provide oxygen concentrators and isolation rooms to underserved areas, including villages as well as Tier II and Tier III cities. Continuing with this effort, WHEELS Global Foundation, in collaboration with Shiv Yog Foundation and the Rotary Club of Aurangabad, procured 10 Oxygen Concentrators for Aurangabad….”
The local media also reported this effort and its contribution to the local community. WGF Health council also made strides for establishing a footprint for its service in the United States by implementing the first Telemedicine initiative at New York University in Manhattan and launching a research program with the Center of Medical Innovation at the University of Utah. The council also expanded the program to include 12+ sub-committees to evaluate activities in other areas such as Oncology, Mental Health, Maternal, and Child Care, etc. where technology can help to scale philanthropy.
