To be socially responsible, means to have the awareness, that you and your Company
have an obligation to society at large, and not just to the Company itself.
As Fairfax expands its business in India, it intends to give back to the country in a meaningful way. With this intent, Fairfax India Charitable Foundation was established in Mumbai on 9th November, 2016. The charter of the foundation is to undertake charitable activities that deliver measurable social impact among India’s poorest and help create a sustainable ecosystem for the local community.
Realizing this obligation, , The Fairfax India Charitable Foundation (Fairfax Trust), a Thomas Cook India Ltd. initiative., has been focusing on a project that has been helping hundreds of needy people requiring dialysis, to lead healthier and better lives., for almost six years now.
Spearheading this important initiative since its inception is Abraham Alapatt, President and Group Head–Marketing, Service Quality, Value Added Services & Innovation. As the CEO of the Fairfax India Charitable Foundation, he has nurtured it, and watched it grow, to make it what it is today. On the ground level, we have Himanshu Dave, Consultant for the Foundation, who has also been involved in the project since the beginning, and who monitors the day to day running to ensure it all works smoothly.
The Fairfax Trust is a mission-driven charitable organization working towards creating social impact through direct implementation of sustainable CSR projects that aim at the holistic development of individuals, and communities at large.
It looks for safe and effective interventions focusing on the special needs of the community, and a cost effective strategy to address health problems facing disadvantaged communities, focusing on rural India.
We found there was an alarming increase in chronic kidney disease (CKD) resulting in an estimated 1.3 million Chronic Kidney Disease patients in India requiring dialysis twice or thrice a week for life long to survive. Against the immediate requirement of approximately 200,000 dialysis machines to serve current patient needs, less than 25,000 are available across the country. To make things worse, a large majority of these serve only urban and more affluent Indians.
The severe shortage of access also means that the dialysis cost is often in excess of Rs. 2.4 lacs per patient, per year. This escalates significantly in remote locations – due to the need for travel of the patient, and an accompanying family member. Added to this are accommodation expenses, and also the loss of earning hours. Given the high and growing incidence of diabetes and hypertension (the two largest causal factors for kidney failure) in India, this shortage of machines and access to dialysis is getting even more acute. Chronic Kidney Disease will soon be the 5th leading cause of deaths in India
This is why the Fairfax Trust decided to step in.
Based on the direction of the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Fairfax Trust, has focused on improving Dialysis access across the country at districts where there are poor or no dialysis infrastructure – with a clear mission to raise the resources for, and deploy, 1000 dialysis machines across the country to offer access to free/subsidized high quality dialysis to India’s poorest.
The Fairfax Trust supports the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), through a unique Public Private Partnership model that harnesses government infrastructure, private sector expertise and financial support from corporates and individuals.
The Fairfax Trust, in this short span, has come a long way, and we are happy to report that it supports 10% of the dialysis machines installed by Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme and has reached the most difficult terrains from Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, to the entire North Eastern Provinces. Fairfax Trust will complete well over 70% of its 1000 machines commitment by 2021-22 E. Considering this is being accomplished despite the challenges faced due to the pandemic, it is creditable indeed.
Our Trustee Companies
- Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
- SOTC Travel Ltd.
- Travel Corporation (India) Ltd.
- Fairbridge Capital Pvt. Ltd.
Our Project Partners:
- Ministry of Health, State Governments,
- Donors: H T Parekh Foundation, ICICI Foundation, Delhi International Airport Ltd., SBI Mutual Funds Management Pvt. Ltd., SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd., PNB Housing Finance Ltd., IIFL Wealth & Asset Management Ltd. & Fairchem Organics Ltd.
We applaud the exceptional support of all our partners who have committed their resources for long periods of time toward making our mission their mission.
The Fairfax Trust Dialysis Initiative
- Will serve 36% of India’s poorest, rural populations with dialysis access nearer their homes
- The 1000 Dialysis Machines are being deployed across 250 District Hospitals that serve BPL patients from across the district
- Projects executed and managed via a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) model that harnesses Government infrastructure, Private sector expertise and financial support from Corporates and individuals
- Sustainable (5 years min.) dialysis access model across the country, serving over 225 Districts across 25 States & UTs
- Over a 5-year time frame, this added dialysis infrastructure will deliver over 24 lac free/subsidised Dialysis Sessions to the poor, with an estimated patient savings of Rs. 480 crores Vs. the current cost to patients
- The project also serves HIV, Hepatitis Positive Patients, Covid 19 patients needing dialysis
- It will create more than 2500 jobs at the district level
- The initiative is managed through automation & multipoint monitoring
With this project, we have touched the lives of millions across India. What is even more creditable is that this wonderful work has continued right through the pandemic, despite lockdowns, despite other medical emergencies, giving these patients and their families continued hope and confidence in taking care of their loved ones.