Category health

On the occasion of World Health Day 2023, SAAOL (Science and Art of Living) Trust signed a collaboration with the NCR-based M3M Foundation and CHC, Government of Haryana to spread heart care awareness under the project “Beat Heart Disease”.

Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee-M3M Foundation, Gurugram, signed the MoU for a donation of Rs 2.34 Crore, in an endeavor to support the “Beat Heart Disease” project. Dr. D Solanki signed the MoU on behalf of Govt. of Haryana. Dr. Rajarishi Bhattacharya – Chief Advisor signed this MOU on behalf of SAAOL Trust in presence of Dr. Bimal Chhajer.

The main aim of this conglomeration is to create a sustainable and healthy society by spreading awareness about lifestyle diseases.

Dr. Bimal Chhajer, the noted Heartcare and Lifestyle Expert, and Chairperson of SAAOL Trust, on the occasion of World Health day while signing the collaboration, said “The diseases caused by infection has been controlled mostly by the modern medicines and vaccinations. Smallpox, Polio have been eliminated, Covid is also contained – but the incidence of Lifestyle Diseases, especially heart disease, Diabetes, high BP have been growing ever since. All of these being Chronic diseases, the healthcare burden to control these diseases are enormous. Moreover, the cost of complications of these diseases and the emergency treatment (of heart attack, Stroke, Kidney failure) are exorbitant if these diseases are not controlled. The cheapest and the best solution to control and cure these diseases are getting the population at large, and specially the vulnerable population educated on healthcare, Yoga, exercises, diet modification. SAAOL’s aim is to educate 50-70 crore of Indian population on diet, yoga, exercises and tips to prevent heart disease. We are looking forward for more such partnerships for support of this massive project of Beat the heart disease’ and spread it to every Indian.”

“Beat Heart Disease” is taking a giant leap with M3M Foundation to enlighten the community members about their physical health and lifestyle-related issues and update them on different health parameters. The total cost of the project is 2 crore and 34 lakhs per year which will be utilized to conduct health camps around Tauru Block of Nuh District, Haryana, India over a span of 3 years.

The program “Sarvoday” will organize 48-50 Health Camps focused on lifestyle diseases especially heart diseases in Tauru block and other blocks of Nuh district, Haryana. Free Health Screening will be conducted for more than 12500 community members identified with CHC through its industry partner’s detailed health screening package and will deploy The Health Screening Van and the experts in the area to do the needful activities.

The program will spread awareness about lifestyle diseases across the community and empower them with knowledge of vaccines to assist community members in lifestyle modification to endure a healthy life with the help of the Foundation and CHC.

This will also include training 300 qualified youth as Healthcare workers with the support of “Healthians” and providing them the Livelihood Opportunities as a phlebotomist, as per the set parameters.

The same people who break into a dance to the tunes of ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ at weddings and discos make a break for it when they have to discuss their ‘Jawani.’ Fortunately, the sex-tech industry is on the cusp of breakthroughs in Asia and more specifically in India accounting for an untapped market worth a whopping $1.1 billion. Interestingly, Manzuri is aiming to make a lion’s share for the same.

The word ‘Manzuri’ is derived from a Japanese word that translates to “female masturbation”. Literally, it translates to ‘ten thousand rubs’. The word also roughly translates to consent in Hindi. Therefore, the founders firmly believe that consent and pleasure go hand-in-hand. Manzuri is built on the brainchild of creating a sex tech start-up in India with a focus on innovation they aim to democratize pleasure and destigmatize sex in India. The brand strives to become a trusted partner in pleasure for all-things-sex.

According to recent statistics, a surprising 30% of consumers for a certain product or service are married couples above the age of 30 living in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. The second largest group of consumers, making up 23% of the customer base, are women aged 18-30 who identify as single. Married women in the 30+ age group make up 15% of the customer base, while single men aged 21-30 account for 20%. Interestingly, the Queer community, also residing in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, makes up 12% of the consumer base.

Manzuri emphasizes the importance of pleasure in the overall health and well-being of life of an individual and how it can impact other aspects of your life like career and relationships. Fortunately, our range of 200+ products ranging from INR 499 to INR 24,999 provides a perfect balance between affordable and premium. With the motive of normalizing buying of sex toys in India, Manzuri offers a wide range of products like male and female masturbation toys, dildos, vibrators, prostate massagers, and many more.

Ms. Aastha Vohra, Co-Founder

They are laser-focused on building a platform that is inclusive and caters to every gender and identity; and most importantly easily accessible to every citizen of the country, Manzuri has started to explore deeper into a market for sex toys in India beyond the metros and is foraying into smaller towns to reach a wider audience. Chennai and Assam are among the top five cities in their demographics, and the acceptance and increasing consumer base in Tier 2 and small towns is proof that Indians are embracing their sexual well-being everywhere.

The responsibility of bringing this movement to far-reaching areas and spreading awareness on these taboo subjects in India is one of the primary goals of Manzuri. Therefore, they believe that just selling is not enough. Manzuri aims to build a sex-positive community through its social channels, delivering innovative tools (a questionnaire designed to tailor your sex toy to you, for example) and bringing life-changing education about safe sex, sexual well-being, and even the way the human body works, to people worldwide.

“We’re committed to making our customers feel like they can think about their sexuality as they think about the rest of their health and wellness.”

Meaning, creating a space free from shame in a dumbed-down marketing manner and with an experience that doesn’t feel sleazy or patronizing. More importantly, they see it as a way into people’s hearts and minds.

The global sexual wellness category is valued at a whopping $74 billion, and the domestic market in India is expected to touch $2 billion over the next three years. The sex toys market is globally valued at $34 million, and the domestic Indian market is approx valued at $91 million and projected to touch $200 million by 2026. Manzuri is ambitious to become a key player in this category, and they are already making waves in over 100 cities. Since their inception in 2020, they’ve sold over 10,000 products, garnering business of over INR 2 cr. It’s all thanks to the enterprising duo, Mr. Ritesh D. Ritelin, Founder, and Ms. Aastha Vohra, Co-Founder, who are determined to make a difference.

Mumbai, April 04, 2023: The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Mumbai announced today that Ranu Vohra will be taking over as the President of TiE Mumbai from April 2023 onwards for a period of two years. Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma will be the President-Elect for the same period.

TiE Mumbai has made significant positive strides over the past 24 months in all aspects of its operations and outreach to entrepreneurs. In the last 2 years, TiE Mumbai has seen tremendous transformation, and new energy with strategic vision and direction to foster entrepreneurship in the ecosystem. Post-pandemic, TiE Mumbai successfully managed to migrate from digital space and moved back into the world of physical meetings, events, and catch-ups.

Welcoming Ranu Vohra and Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Amit Mookim, Past President, TiE Mumbai said, “Over the last 2 years, TiE Mumbai’s charter member base has grown 2x. TiE Mumbai’s revenue base through a mix of TiEcon, Open Innovation programs, Membership has grown by 2x and is slated to grow to 3x revenue by the end of this year. Today we are tightening our Governance Structures, building a Robust Team, Board and Charter Members with a 3-5 year Vision and Leadership in mind. Ranu and Apoorva have been a part of the TiE Mumbai leadership and the TiE network for a long time. They together are well positioned to scale TiE Mumbai even further and continue this growth trajectory.”

Commenting on his election, Ranu Vohra, President, TiE Mumbai said “TiE Mumbai has been the crucible for innovation and for entrepreneurs to interact, learn from one another and build more sustainable, robust businesses. Mumbai continues to offer significant advantages to the growing cohort of entrepreneurs and in offering a great start-up ecosystem, which is so vital for companies to start and prosper. TiE Mumbai will be central to entrepreneurs as they go along in the journey to become more meaningful and responsible corporate citizens for the country. Besides, as the financial capital of India,

Mumbai offers companies the resource they need the most as they build on their value proposition. My vision is to continue its rich legacy and bring Mumbai higher on the country’s startup map through TiE. I would like to thank the Past Presidents and the current Board of TiE for electing me to this position. I would also like to thank the outgoing President, Amit Mookim, in strengthening TiE and continuing the rich legacy despite a tough COVID environment.”

In the past two years, under the leadership of Amit Mookim, TiE Mumbai has made tremendous progress and has achieved several feats. TiEcon 2022 was an overwhelming success with 27 Unicorns, 3600 Delegates, 1500+Startups and a fantastic mix of Leaders and Officials. This was a major boost to the startup ecosystem and TiE Mumbai’s memberships, thus creating a healthy surplus for the organization.

During the height of the pandemic, TiE Mumbai pivoted to starting Open Innovation programs for corporates. TiE Mumbai helped these corporates from Designing, building value for startups, executing the program (cohorts) to holding a demo/graduation day as a part of the entire exercise. Today, TiE Mumbai is viewed as one of the successful partners in India to help corporates in their Open Innovation Strategy and Programs. It won the “Most Innovative Program” among all the other chapters at the last Rome Retreat. It has also organized several Thought Leadership Series, investor connects, and venture-to-invest classes during this period. TiE Mumbai Special Interest Groups viz. Fintech, Healthcare, Food Network. Media and Retail created excellent value for Start-ups. TiE Mumbai has also been highly active in engaging with other chapters both in India and across the globe. TIE Mumbai’s intra-chapter index has gone up notches over the past couple of years.

Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, President-Elect, of TiE Mumbai added, “We are witnessing a staggering growth momentum in the Startup sector in India. I am very excited about my new role at TiE Mumbai, which will help me contribute to this trajectory. I congratulate Amit Mookim on an extremely successful tenure at TiE Mumbai. I look forward to closely working with Ranu Vohra and the board to continue this momentum with a focus on structured mentoring thus adding value to the various stakeholders by fostering entrepreneurship, boosting innovation, knowledge sharing and funding. TiE Mumbai is at an inflection point in its current journey, ready to scale up and take on more initiatives to address the larger issues of our ecosystem.”

“In their new roles, Ranu Vohra and Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma will together charter the path of building a concrete leadership team for the Startup ecosystem with a 5-year view. Their combination works significantly well since Ranu brings with him his rich experience with late-stage startups coupled with solid investments in that space while Apoorva adds immense value as he has built a strong investment network for early to growth stage companies. Their combination covers the entire breadth of the industry effectively.” said Harish Mehta, Author – The Maverick Effect, Co-Founder & First Elected Chairperson -of NASSCOM, Chairman Past Presidents Council- TiE Mumbai, Founder and Chairman – Onward Technologies Ltd.

The new leadership team will further leverage TiE Mumbai’s presence and initiatives, and strengthen the startup connect with the investor, government, corporate and trade networks and build knowledge and agenda driven programs to enhance Mumbai’s presence as a preferred destination for startups. Profile of Ranu Vohra Ranu Vohra is the co-founder of Avendus Capital, a leading financial services organization, and currently serves as its Executive Vice Chairman. He along with his fellow co-founders has been responsible for Avendus’ overall growth over the last 23 years. He has spent the last 28 years in the Indian financial services industry concluding several marquee transactions in investment banking and private equity. He is based in Mumbai.

He has worked alongside several notable entrepreneurs in helping them chart their growth journeys, capital raising, M&A, restructuring and in reaching their goals for success. Prior to co-founding Avendus, Ranu worked with a Tampa (USA) based technology and media investment bank, Communications Equity Associates (CEA) and Hinduja Finance, a diversified financial services firm. He holds an MBA degree from FMS, New Delhi and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from IIT, New Delhi.

 Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma an Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, and Visionary is a founding father of the startup ecosystem in India and has been mentoring & investing in startups since 2002. He has curated, incubated, and led seed investments of over 100 startups to date. He co-founded Venture Catalysts, 9Unicorns, Elev8, and Beams Fintech Fund. Dr. Sharma has been awarded by The President of India, Mr. Ratan Tata & Mr. Narayan Murthy for his milestone contributions to the startup movement in India. He holds a Ph.D. in Incubation. The Economic Times ranked him among the top 10 most active angel investors for three consecutive years.

India April 04 2023: CureBay, an innovative health-tech platform focused on bringing high-quality and affordable healthcare to underserved patients in rural India, has announced the appointment of Vasant Nangia as President effective 3 April. In his new role, Nangia will forefront CureBay’s operations and spearhead its efforts to augment its reach and impact across the region.

With Vasant’s appointment, CureBay now aims to rapidly scale up from its current 30 e-clinics and pharmacies to building a world-class health-tech enterprise, by harnessing innovative technology and rapidly building seamless infrastructure across geographies.

An alumnus of IIM Calcutta, Vasant Nangia recently stepped down as the CEO of Chumbak Design, a home and lifestyle retailer acquired by GOAT Brand Labs earlier this year.

Having built a crack team with domain experts in healthcare and technology, Priyadarshi, Founder & CEO of CureBay, while sharing his views on bringing in Vasant, said “Vasant brings in years of experience not just in transformational leadership but also in executional excellence. His onboarding will help the entire leadership team at CureBay as we make strong strides towards redefining how affordable healthcare services will be made accessible to a billion people. I am eagerly looking forward to growing CureBay by leaps and bounds as we start this new financial year together.”

Speaking on his appointment and collaborating with Priyadarshi for the third time, Vasant Nangia, said, “I am delighted to collaborate once again with Priyadarshi and equally thrilled to be a part of CureBay. The platform’s outstanding work in connecting patients from underserved markets to reliable healthcare providers across the chain is truly commendable. I am excited to join the stellar team at CureBay to take its operations to the next level and make a positive impact. It is an honour to be a part of an organization that is dedicated to improving healthcare access and outcomes for millions of individuals in rural India, and I am excited to contribute my expertise and experience towards this noble cause.”

Both the industry veterans along with a few colleagues introduced the Karatmeter, a device to quickly and non-destructively measure the purity of gold, that transformed the jewellery industry and catapulted an ailing Tanishq to becoming the blockbuster revenue and profit earner for Titan.

Following his successful tenure at Tanishq, Vasant co-founded Oyzterbay.com along with Priyadarshi to provide contemporary and affordable jewellery for the burgeoning young Indian population. The Oyzterbay team was acquihired by the US-based Fossil Group in 2007 where Vasant further played a vital role in establishing Fossil India as one of the group’s largest global subsidiaries. He then relocated to Hong Kong as Fossil Group’s Senior Vice-President.

Co-founded in 2022 by Priyadarshi Mohapatra along with Shobhan Mahapatra and Sanjay Swain, CureBay was established with the goal of creating a similar transformation in healthcare – building an innovative model for delivering last mile in healthcare services through a tech leveraged hybrid model. The platform has recently closed a Series A funding round of INR 50 crore led by Elevar Equity, positioning the organization for further growth and expansion.

3 April 2023, Gurugram: With the rise of exaggerated and gimmicky claims by skincare brands, consumers have become vulnerable to rampant misinformation in the industry. To address this issue, India’s trusted and oldest dermatologically formulated brand, Dr. Sheth’s, is launching its first-ever campaign to debunk common myths surrounding transformative skincare claims. The campaign, called #DermatKnowsBest, features actress Raashi Khanna and aims to shift the conversation back to the skincare experts – dermatologists.

It starts with an announcement on TV about a new miracle serum from Mars with cutting-edge technology and Martian Sand that can transform skin in just one drop. The campaign highlights how the quick transformational claims by skincare brands are a hoax, funnily and humorously, via an Instagram reel by Raashii Khanna where she unboxes and applies this mysterious product based on cutting-edge technology and ingredients from outer space for instant results. However, her skin returns to its previous state a few moments later, driving the important message that miracle skincare products don’t exist and that it is best to leave skincare problems to Fermat’s expertise.

Dr. Sheth’s is the world’s first dermatologist-formulated skincare brand with products designed specifically for Indian skin, based on the clinical experiences, knowledge & expertise of three generations of skin doctors. Today, India’s Skincare market is flooded with products based on learnings from Western and Caucasian Skin. Despite being >10% of the world’s population, Indians are forced to settle for products based on imported formulas that deliver sub-par results. Dr. Sheth’s mission is to bring Indian Skincare into the 21st century, allowing everyday Indians to access high-quality, scientific solutions made specifically for Indian skin. In doing so, we are democratizing the secrets of the country’s oldest and most renowned Dermatology Clinics in everyday use formats that consumers are familiar with, know, and love.

New Delhi, 30th March 2023: MrMed, India’s top online pharmacy for super- speciality medicines, has announced the launch of its mobile app. Available on Android and iOS platforms, the app allows patients and caregivers to purchase speciality medicines at affordable prices easily.

With this launch, patients and caregivers across India (including tier-2 and 3 cities, towns and villages) will have access to over 5000 speciality medicines for conditions like cancer, transplants, kidney/ liver diseases and many more by simply uploading their prescriptions.

MrMed’s mobile app enables users to purchase these medicines with just a few clicks, offering flexible payment options, including online transactions and payment upon delivery. Additionally, the app provides transparent information about Patient Assistance Programs, alternate suggestions on medicines and order tracking for
doorstep delivery, making it a gamechanger in the speciality medicine industry.

Devashish Singh, Co-founder and CEO of MrMed, said, “The majority of medicines available on MrMed are life-saving, and we believe that no patient in any corner of the country should suffer due to delayed or limited access to affordable medicines. We’re proud to be the only platform offering up to 85% discounts on such essential medicines. Additionally, our expert healthcare blogs provide valuable information related to critical health conditions, ensuring that users are well- informed.”

Speciality medicines are typically not available in local pharmacies, and their deliveries can be time-consuming and expensive in some regions of the country. MrMed’s mobile app is surely a significant step towards ensuring timely and affordable access to life-saving medicines.

March 29, 2023: Connect and Heal, a leading health-tech company providing end-to-end coordinated care, announced that Dr. Haleema Yezdani has been appointed as one of the board of Directors of the HIMSS India Chapter Board for 2023-25. In this role, Haleema will participate in membership drives, outreach activities, events, reports, advocacy, and other working groups, to help drive the thought leadership for faster adoption of healthcare IT in India.

Dr. Haleema has served as a General Physician and Diabetologist for 20 years, including nine years of experience in telemedicine. She has received a total of 15 awards for her contribution to telemedicine, making her one of the future 50 clinical leaders in telemedicine globally recognized by HIMSS.

She is also a Rajyotsava Award holder for Project step one, recognized for her extraordinary work during COVID-19 in Step One, a non-profit startup by technology and healthcare professionals on a mission to better prepare our society for future health emergencies. She is also the Director of Women’s International Empowerment at World Peace. Currently, she is associated with Connect and Heal as Senior Manager, Telemedicine.

Sanjay Vinayak, Founder, of Connect and Heal, said, “This recognition is a testament to Haleema’s exceptional work in the healthcare sector, and we take pride in saying she is one of us. As one of the board of Directors of the HIMSS India, she will get more meaningful opportunities to drive growth and innovation in the healthcare ecosystem, helping it become more accurate and efficient in the coming years.”

Dr. Haleema Yezdani, Senior Manager, Connect and Heal (Telemedicine), said, “I am delighted to join HIMSS India as one of the board of Directors. I look forward to collaborating with like-minded industry leaders and bringing more transformations to the telemedicine sector.”

Kerala, 28th March 2023: Sightsavers India and Cholamandalam, have inaugurated the Raahi Vision Centre in Kalamassery, Kochi in collaboration with SSM Foundation. The center aims to promote road safety by providing free eye screenings and spectacles to truck drivers and allied staff in the trucking community. It is the first of its kind in Kerala and part of Sightsavers India’s nationwide project to promote eye health and road safety.

The Raahi Vision Centre, funded by Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited, was inaugurated by Mr Girish M, (RCM, Cholamandalam), in the presence of esteemed dignitaries such as Mr. Venugopal C. Govind (Trustee SSM Eye Research Foundation), Dr. A. Giridhar (Managing Trustee SSM Eye Research), and Mr. Prasanna Kumar (Director-Programs Operations, Sightsavers).

“Our support for the Raahi Vision Centre is aligned with our commitment to promote road safety and support the trucking community. We are proud to be associated with Sightsavers India and SSM Eye Research Foundation in their mission to promote road safety among truck drivers and allied staff in Kerala. At Cholamandalam, we believe in investing in initiatives that have a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are committed to promoting safety on the roads and improving the overall well-being of those who keep our economy moving. We hope that this project will set an example for others to follow and contribute to creating a safer and healthier India.” said Mr. Girish M, RCM, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited.

The Raahi Vision Centre will conduct screening and awareness programs for lorry drivers and allied staff of the trucking community, providing spectacles free of charge after the screening. The center will also organize screening programs on Saturdays at lorry drivers’ hubs and factories. Truck drivers’ associations and factories can contact the program coordinator to schedule screenings at their campuses.

Mr. Prasanna Kumar, Director-Programs Operations, Sightsavers, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with Cholamandalam and SSM Eye Research Foundation to inaugurate the Raahi Vision Centre in Kerala, which will offer this critical service to the trucking community. Our mission at Sightsavers India is to eliminate avoidable blindness, and this initiative aligns perfectly with our goals by ensuring that truck drivers and allied staff have access to critical eye care services, helping them maintain their vision and enhancing road safety for all.”

The Raahi Vision Centre is a significant step towards creating a safer and healthier trucking community and promoting road safety in India.

27th March 2023, Sunday, Kolkata: Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA), in association with East Kolkata Nagrik Foundation, organized a free Eye Operation Camp for 100 cataract patients from economically weaker sections of the society today at Lake Town, Kolkata.

Dr Shiladitya Mukherjee and his team performed the phaco surgeries.

“We are thankful to Dr. Mukherjee and our associate East Kolkata Nagrik Foundation for making the Free Eye Operation camp a huge success. Sight is mankind’s one of the most precious gift and being a part of an initiative to help the poor members of our society, who cannot afford the cost of an operation, get their proper eyesight makes us all very proud and humbled. CTMA will continue to carry out such social welfare activities in the future,” said Mr Pawan Jajodia, Treasurer, CTMA.

Members of CTMA Rajesh Doshi, Rajendra Agarwal, K K Binani, and others were present along with Pritam Kr Daftary, Purushottam Lal Khetan, Prakash Raj Rajaji, Ashish Agarwal – members of East Kolkata Nagarik Foundation.

New Delhi, 27th March 2023 – As working women are often struggling with psychological issues like role conflict, job strain, mental fatigue, stress, anxiety, frustration, depression, anger, phobias, and other social and emotional distress while striking a balance between professional and personal life, Manasthali, a leading mental health and wellness platform, has announced a mental well-being initiative to support such women.

As a part of this initiative, Manasthali offers a range of mental health programs and resources that are tailored to meet the unique needs of women in the corporate world. These programs include online counseling sessions, stress management workshops, mindfulness and meditation sessions, and self-care tips.

“Our goal is to create a safe space for women in the corporate world to address their mental health issues and empower them to live healthy and fulfilling life. We understand the challenges that women face in the workplace, and we are committed to providing them with the tools and resources they need to overcome these challenges,” said Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, Founder and Director, Manasthali Wellness.

According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization, depression is the second largest condition in the world. Women are approximately 75% more likely than men to report having recently suffered from depression or any other mental issue. In the corporate world, it has been reported that women often face additional challenges such as discrimination, harassment, and the pressure to balance work and family responsibilities

Manasthali has a team of experienced mental health professionals who work closely with women in the corporate world to provide them with personalized support and guidance. The platform also has an active community of women who share their experiences and support each other through their mental health journey.

“We believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, and we are dedicated to creating a culture of well-being in the workplace. We aim to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage women to seek help when they need it,” added Dr. Jyoti Kapoor.