NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

AddressHealth, India’s first paediatric primary healthcare network, has won the prestigious ‘Stars in Global Health’ grant competition from Grand Challenges Canada. The company bagged the honours for its innovative model to provide comprehensive healthcare to children in low income groups through tele-enabled school health centres.

The award includes a grant of $112,000 CAD and the company could further qualify for a matching grant of $1 million under Grand Challenges Canada’s Transition to Scale Programme. This year, out of more than 600 entries worldwide, 85 organisations have won a grant. AddressHealth is one amongst only ten Indian innovators who have won the grant this year.

The innovation grant will be used to set up and manage medical rooms in four Bangalore-based unaided private schools which serve low income groups. A televideo link will be enabled to connect the medical rooms with Address Health’s child health clinics. In addition to this, the medical rooms will be managed by school nurse, supported by medical professionals like doctors, dentists, nutritionists, psychologists and optometrists. These professionals will periodically visit the schools.