Jaslok Hospital and Citi Launch 'Jaslok Annex' to Enhance Patient Care

Mumbai – Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre (Jaslok Hospital) and Citi today announced the launch of 'Jaslok Annex', housing 85 patient beds, amongst the highest ratio of ICU beds to total beds, exceeding prescribed standards. This is the second healthcare association between Jaslok Hospital and Citi.

Of the 85 patient beds at Jaslok Annex, 15 are dialysis day-care beds and 70 are for in-patients with an isolation facility. This ensures all beds are protected from inter-mixing of infected atmosphere. Each bed has a provision for the supply of oxygen, air, and vacuum facilities, enhancing safety to patients and medical staff. The negative pressure environment is ideal for managing infectious diseases and is ultra safe for normal patients.

Jaslok Annex also includes a cutting-edge nuclear medicine department that offers precise diagnosis and treatment through the latest technology and equipment. This nuclear medicine department, at the basement level, is home to one of India's only five nuclear medicine treatment machines - The '5-ring CT Machine'. The department also carries 'The Cardiac SPECT', one of the few in the country. This is a highly sensitive non-invasive diagnostic tool that reduces radiation exposure time by as much as 60%.

The top two floors of Jaslok Annex include Hospital Laboratory, overnight dormitory facilities for patient relatives and a training-cum-conference room facility for doctors. The state-of-the-art building was launched at an event, hosted by Jaslok Hospital and attended by Mr. Ashu Khullar, CEO Citi India and Regional Head for South Asia, Trustees of Jaslok Hospital - Mrs. Kanta Masand, Mr Narain Chanrai and Mr Jagdish Chanrai, and Mr. Jitendra Haryan, CEO, Jaslok Hospital.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Jitendra Haryan, CEO of Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre said, "Our objective with the launch of Jaslok Annex is to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure of Mumbai by creating a dedicated facility to combat future healthcare challenges, if any. We are invested in improving our clinical facility and technology to deliver the highest quality patient care. We also express our sincere gratitude to Citi for their wholehearted support to the project."

Mr. Ashu Khullar, CEO of Citi India said, "Citi's community response to the pandemic has been aimed at the immediate-to-short term needs, as well as at building long-term healthcare infrastructure for the country. Through our first exercise with Jaslok Hospital, we took steps to help Mumbai return to a new normal by providing free vaccinations to low-income communities in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Through this second initiative, Jaslok Annex, Citi is reinforcing Mumbai's healthcare infrastructure, designed to be extremely safe for doctors, patients and visiting family alike in a high-infection scenario. In addition, Citi will provide financial assistance towards medical care for the low-income communities. I thank both Jaslok Hospital and Citi India teams for making Jaslok Annex into a reality in just 15 months."

Citi India and Jaslok Hospital's first association was one of the largest public-private vaccination drives, Ummeed, for low-income individuals who were eligible for their first or second dosage of Covishield. Together, Citi and Jaslok Hospital vaccinated +340,000 citizens free of charge.

The seven-floor Jaslok Annex is connected to the main Jaslok Hospital building at the third-floor for efficient movement of patient, material and medical staff. Sound barriers have been provided along the relevant boundary, and the building also has two sets of staircases.

With the launch of Jaslok Annex the hospital aims to enhance Mumbai's healthcare infrastructure by providing comprehensive care to all the patients. The healthcare industry in India has witnessed various changes in providing sufficient infrastructure and patient care that has been at the forefront of need during the pandemic.

Citi India is focused on building Corporate Citizenship programs that enable progress and drive change across communities and are in line with the priorities of The Government of India, Citi Foundation, and Citi globally. This includes focusing on short, medium and longer-term initiatives to combat the aftermath of the pandemic.

As a part of Citi India's FY22 relief efforts, the bank has forged public-private partnerships to augment medical health infrastructure towards procurement of medical equipment, increasing bed capacity by supporting the building of a new tower and wing, and a permanent facility for infectious diseases (in the event of need), as well as subsidized treatment programs for those from low-income households.