BusinessWire India
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 29: Bayer's Phygital PHC Telemedicine Centre Project, implemented by Telerad Foundation, has won the FKCCI Global CSR & Sustainability Award 2026 in the category of Excellence in Healthcare. The award was presented on July 23, 2026, at the FKCCI Global CSR & Sustainability Summit in Bengaluru by Smt. Prabha Mallikarjuna, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Davanagere. The Summit, themed "Sustainability at Scale," was inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister Shri D K Shivakumar and convened CSR leaders, government representatives, and industry bodies.
The award was assessed by an independent jury of CSR, sustainability, policy, and industry experts, chaired by Prof P D Jose of the IIMB, evaluating nominated projects on impact, innovation, scalability, sustainability, and governance.
The awarded project embeds telemedicine centres within 15 government Primary Health Centres across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat -- including several located in NITI Aayog-designated Aspirational Districts -- addressing India's rural specialist healthcare shortage without new infrastructure build-out.
In FY 2025-26, the Phygital Telemedicine project delivered:
- 90,034 teleconsultations, 48% with specialist physicians
- 1,87,607 preventive screenings, identifying 3,767 previously undiagnosed hypertension cases and 3,858 previously undiagnosed diabetes cases
- 283 high-risk pregnancies identified and monitored, with 48 resulting in safe deliveries without complications
- Every Rs 1 invested in the programme returned Rs. 2.57 in direct economic value to the rural households it served
- Services accessible to 10.59 lakh people across 463 villages
"This recognition validates the potential of the phygital telemedicine healthcare model to transform access to specialist care in rural India. By integrating telemedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, and specialist medicines within government Primary Health Centres, we have created a scalable and sustainable approach to delivering quality healthcare closer to communities. We remain committed to expanding this model and reaching many more underserved populations across the country," said Dr Arjun Kalyanpur, Co-Founder, Telerad Foundation.
"For millions living in rural communities, access to specialist healthcare can still mean long journeys, lost income, and delayed treatment. Through our Telemedicine Programme, we are helping bridge this gap by bringing quality specialist consultations closer to where people live. At Bayer, this is what our mission 'Health for All, Hunger for None' means--leveraging innovation and partnerships to make healthcare more accessible, regardless of geography. This recognition reflects the powerful impact that technology, strong public health systems, and cross-sector collaboration can create together," said Rachana Panda, Director, Bayer Foundation India.
The project has been steered under the leadership of Ashwani Sinha, Chief Impact Officer, Telerad Foundation, with on-ground execution led by Suma S, Senior Operations Manager and Project Head, Telerad Foundation.
The Phygital model operates as a public-private partnership with the National Health Mission and District Health Administrations and has been positioned as a replicable blueprint for rural specialist access at scale.
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