Showcase

A Stroke of Hope

Affordable healthcare plus quality service is not a distant dream anymore in the Northeast, thanks to GNRC's unique stroke card. Nancy Singh finds out how an idea can change lives

Throughout his medical career, Dr NC Borah, Chairman cum Managing Director, GNRC Hospitals, Guwahati has been able to provide quality services to many, but what affected him deeply was to see people lose their dear ones because they could not afford medical treatment. For the last 23 years, he observed that though modern medical facilities are becoming available, treatment for diseases like cerebral stroke, heart attack, accident-injuries is highly expensive and remains unaffordable for the common man.

Too High a Cost

"A large number of the people of India live their life in a financial crunch and to avail modern healthcare have to dispose of their movable or immovable properties," sighs Dr Borah. A survey by the World Bank has also revealed that hospitalisation expenses are one of the most common causes of people sliding below the poverty line.

In answer to this situation, comes A Ray of Hope (Ashadeep in Hindi). True to its name, it is casting away shadows and dispelling all sorts of fear among the residents of Guwahati and nearby Northeast regions by making healthcare affordable. GNRC is carrying this torch of hope and making a difference to all those inhabitants, who, if truth be told, would have lost their lives because of their inability to pay for the treatment.

After reviewing the pros and cons of various health schemes and insurance policies of different countries, and many brainstorming sessions for two years, the innovative health scheme Ashadeep was born. It claims to be a hassle-free scheme. Through this, any person can avail super-speciality treatment at a discount of 50 to 100 per cent, for a nominal membership fee.

"There is no need for any kind of deposit for the cardholders, if they have to be hospitalised in GNRC" - Dr NC Borah Chairman Cum Managing Director GNRC Hospitals Guwahati

"The entire hassle of bill settlement is absent, as Ashadeep offers its services only at GNRC hospitals" - Ayashkanta Chakraborty Marketing Head GNRC Guwahati

Inside the Light

Launched in June 2006, Ashadeep is an innovative insurance scheme that, through cards, offers various health memberships to individuals, families and groups at very cheap rates. "It is the first health 'card-based' insurance scheme in India," says Dr Borah.

This card is truly 'different' in many ways. It comes with a host of value adds that justify its phenomenal success. Firstly, as compared to other insurance schemes where the settlement of the hospital bills is done through the TPA, here all the bill settlements are done directly. "Thus the entire hassle of bill settlement is absent, as Ashadeep offers its services only at GNRC hospitals," says Ayashkanta Chakraborty, Marketing Head, GNRC.

In addition, it is a cashless transaction. "There is no need for any kind of deposit for the cardholders, if they have to be hospitalised in GNRC," informs Dr Borah.

There is also no bar on those with pre-existing diseases becoming cardholders, just as there is no age bar— anyone can become a member of Ashadeep and avail the facilities. The card can be used for any number of hospital visits.

Interestingly, Ashadeep has been able to partly address the problem of unemployment in the region. "Anyone who is interested becomes a part of the mission by selling this card and can earn suitably, in addition to making healthcare affordable and accessible," says Chakraborty.

Overwhelming Response

Though there are many schemes available, the most popular and used card is the stroke-card. That is because the Northeast region is burdened with many stroke patients. It is estimated that every year around 200 patients suffer from strokes and around 80 die every year due to lack of treatment in the region. "GNRC is well-known for its neurological services and this is an area prone to cerebral stroke which is why almost 50 per cent of them opt for the stroke-card," says Dr Borah. In fact, so popular has been this card, that the initiative is better-known as 'stroke card' instead of its generic name ie Ashadeep. With a fee of just Rs 299 per member per year the accident card is also becoming very popular.

With all its irresistible features, the card has received an overwhelming response, although much was not spent on advertising. In just a matter of one year, the number of cardholders has crossed the 1,00,000 mark. "We have received truly an exceptional response, especially considering that not much was invested in advertising or endorsement. It's purely word-of-mouth publicity," beams Dr Borah.

Asked about initial hurdles or challenges, the Managing Director claims that the management did not face any significant teething problems. "We just needed to educate the masses. All we did was pool resources like paramedics and hold awareness camps in the nearby region and the trend caught on like wildfire.”

Awareness, not Advertisement

GNRC spent around Rs 2-3 lakh on the stroke card, which is miniscule compared to the Rs 1 crore (approximately) it spent on community awareness. Chakraborty admits, "We spent more on creating a brand than on the launch of the card."

The advertising strategy was to aggressively focus on creating a brand first. "We spent a huge amount on generating awareness through our community welfare programmes and we went to almost every household disseminating information about stroke and its treatment. Hence, we spurred enough consciousness amongst the inhabitants about the dangers and importance of timely treatment. There was not much advertising required for this card as people recognised the brand instantly," says Dr Borah, giving an insight about his marketing strategy.

On the surface, this model does not seem to be a profitable venture. Dr Borah concurs, "It would have been impractical to expect the recovery of investment so soon." However Dr Borah reveals that even a 100 per cent discount card is more profitable than cash transactions. "First, treatment to a stroke patient would have cost me more and here I'm drawing enough fiscal regularly even when they are not suffering. Second, it draws in patients who would not earlier have come to GNRC, wary of the treatment cost. Hence it's a win-win situation for both the end user and us."

The management has reduced its advertising expenditure by 20-30 per cent now and is just focussing on introducing innovative value-added services.

Increasing Coverage

Given the overwhelming response, no prizes for guessing that the group now plans to promote it further and cover as many people as possible. The Managing Director shares his plans enthusiastically, "I myself am surprised by the response. I wasn't expecting such a huge number in this short span of time. In fact, many doctors from other states have bought this card as well. Our next target is to reach the one million mark in the next two to three years. And to achieve this, we plan to keep adding new value-added services in preventive check ups and bring in more cards to cover more diseases."

Is that too ambitious? Perhaps, perhaps not. Right to 'quality' healthcare for all, as a utopian concept, has managed to crawl its way from healthcare activists' columns and books and travel across miles to the easternmost corner of India. "The main mission and objective of Ashadeep is making quality healthcare affordable and accessible for all and solving the ever increasing unemployment issues," Dr Borah proclaims.

nancy.singh@expressindia.com