OYO founder and Chief Executive Officer Ritesh Agarwal has announced the establishment of five healthcare centers for the underprivileged in his home state Odisha over the next one year. The centers will be operated by operated by health-tech startup ‘Last Mile Care’ which already runs 11 health centers across India. The strategic placement of these centers aims to cover regions with limited access to healthcare facilities, thereby bridging the gap between healthcare services and the marginalized populations.
As part of this initiative, the first center – Ramesh and Bela Agarwal Healthcare Center has been inaugurated by Shri Jagannath Saraka, the state minister for SC/ST Development, Minorities and Backward Class Welfare and Law in Ritesh’s hometown Rayagada. The center has been named in the honor of his parents, late Mr Ramesh Agarwal and Mrs Bela Agarwal.
The centers will use health-tech and options of hybrid care for providing high quality and affordable healthcare in small towns. These centers will provide free doctor consults for the first 3 months and discounted treatment and medicine for all for the first six months which includes facilities such as preventive care, diagnostic services, primary healthcare services, preventive care, diagnostic services and treatment for minor illnesses along with professional consultation and referral services, affordable medication and digital health record facilities.
In addition to this, each such center will have a team of doctors with specialisation in gynecology, eye diseases and heart diseases. There will be a pharmacy as well to offer complete healthcare solutions to patients.
This endeavor showcases Ritesh Agarwal’s commitment to giving back to Rayagada, the town where he spent his formative years and to his home state Orissa.
With Last Mile Care as its operational partner, the center is well equipped to provide basic healthcare facilities both to the underprivileged as well as the general public. Last Mile Care is already running 13 such centers successfully across India including the one at Tandipur village is Odisha which is developed in partnership with OYO Care, the CSR wing of OYO. Ramesh and Bela Healthcare Center at Rayagada is a bigger center with more facilities and technological support.
Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of OYO remarked, “As we navigate the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, collaboration between healthcare providers, tech innovators, policymakers, and communities is paramount. By fostering an environment conducive to innovation and investing in initiatives like these, we are doing our bit to ensure that quality medical services become accessible to everyone”.
The establishment of these healthcare centers aligns with Ritesh Agarwal’s longstanding commitment to social welfare and his vision of creating a positive impact on communities. Through this initiative, he aims to contribute significantly to improving healthcare accessibility and fostering better health outcomes for the people of Odisha.
