Zoho forays into healthcare with 250-bed hosp near city

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred the hospital project, which is expected to be commissioned in 2021. Dr Balachander Govindarajan, Medical Director, Zoho Corporation, who is spearheading the project, said, “This will be a community hospital, that will blend analogue (knowledge, skills) and digital tools so that technology, networking and satellite ecosystem can be used effectively to provide affordable outcomes.” The cardiologist, who returned from the US, is building this hospital brick by brick, and describes it as an “anywhere hospital”. “The concept of ‘anywhere hospital’, is akin to transforming a home or an office into a setup, enabling an appropriate delivery of healthcare by harnessing the power of technology. Twenty years ago, in 2004, when I was part of the telemedicine committee in the US, there was too much resistance. But now, healthcare is knocking on the doors of telemedicine as it has become a genome by itself,” explained Dr Govindarajan .

The global pandemic has not only hastened the adoption, but the progression of the Haptik technology is creating exciting prospects for the healthcare sector, as a remote diagnosis made real-time outcomes possible. Drawing a parallel to Haven, the joint healthcare venture of Amazon, JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway in the US, this hospital will also cater to Zoho employees apart from the community. The hospital project will take about 12 to 16 months for completion and the Zoho firm has onboarded Acme Consulting for planning and quality accreditation (like NABH).

For now, the hospital will come up on a 2.6 lakh sq ft of built-up area with every bed being allocated 50 sq ft with self-contained facilities. From the waiting area to the COVID-19-induced social distancing norms, all aspects of healthcare would be addressed. A sum of Rs 70 crore has been allocated as the initial budget. Technology would be incorporated in a radical way to ensure an integrated healthcare delivery. Though predominantly an allopathic facility, AYUSH treatment features would also be integral in this holistic wellness project.