Oshmedics 5 ideas for Health-centric CSR

In today’s times of social media explosion, when stories sell more than products, every company wants to jump on the CSR bandwagon.

What exactly is CSR?

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the responsibility of businesses to work for the betterment of the society. It is the company’s way of contributing to the development of the community, the nation and the globe as a whole.
• CSR activities can convey your beliefs and mission to the general public. A company that has paved the way for the improvement of the society is perceived as an ideal by end-users, partners and its internal workforce. CSR helps to build the company equity and inculcate a legacy of trust.
• CSR activities can be of many types but the most rewarding one is CSR related to Health. This is because the quest for good health is a universal issue. All the parameters of happiness including quality of life, independence, relationships and success all are directly dependent upon health status. 
• Through the ages, humans have been engaged in search of an elixir that has remained evasive till now.
• The progress in science and technology has increased life spans but health issues have continued to escalate. Funding to mitigate these issues, manpower, healthcare technology and technical expertise all are sadly lagging behind. If corporates become strong financial partners in the quest for health upliftment, much of this lacuna can be filled. Sustainable health systems can be created with the help of corporate CSR programmes which can touch millions of lives.
• Health related CSR initiatives are necessary for a country like India with its ever-mushrooming population, limited medical resources, underlying poverty and loaded health systems. 
• As a manager or entrepreneur, you should be focusing on health-centric CSR especially during these unpredictable times when the pandemic has changed all the paradigms of enterprise.

Ideas for health-centric CSRs

• Organize Health Camps :
• Underprivileged people have poor access to medical care and may be unaware of serious health issues till it is too late.
• As a corporate, you can organize diagnostic health camps for the poor where basic health parameters can be checked by a team of caregivers so that underlying health issues are detected and treatment is initiated.
• Blood tests, physical assessments, stress tests, ECG, mental health evaluation, diet counselling etc. can all be a part of these camps.
• Another idea is to organize mobile health vans that can take healthcare to the doorstep of people residing in inaccessible locations or remote rural areas.

•  Funding research :
• Many conglomerates have funded research in the discovery of medicines and vaccines as a part of their CSR initiative. These funds go a long way in helping researchers discover better ways of managing illnesses and genetic disorders. Some companies specifically invest in research for lesser- known and rare conditions like progeria or cystic fibrosis.

• Covid-specific CSR : Many companies contributed to the fight against Covid. Large donations were made to the “PM cares” fund. You can go forward in this by organizing vaccination drives and isolation centres  for the less privileged, arranging protective gear for front-line workers, initiating compensation for survivors of healthcare warriors, organizing Covid-care ambulances, sponsoring oxygen plants etc.

• Awareness campaigns : Companies can spread Health awareness messages through their advertising campaigns. E.g., Audi separated the four rings in its logo to spread the message about social distancing to fight the Covid virus. You can make awareness initiatives about health ailments that will help your users connect your brand to a personal thing like their health. e.g., Construction companies can start campaigns like “Constructing a strong India” and conduct campaigns addressing anaemia or bone health.

• Organizing wellness-supportive events : Many companies choose this route to spread awareness about health issues. Events can range over a wide spectrum from sponsored contests, seminars, matches to marathons. They can be small scale or wide scale. Health-centric events can benefit both companies and the masses. The companies are benefited because events are opportunities to get press coverage, social media views and build company’s image. People are benefited because they get information, medical advice and health tips at these events. After the pandemic situation improves, events can be organized on a large scale. E.g., Marathons are in trend and are widely advertised as “Run for health” etc. Running can significantly improve both physical and mental health. People like to participate in marathons especially if they are for a cause. Companies can leverage this and be the sponsors. Accessories with branding and medical services can be provided.

To summarize, entrepreneurs all over the globe are realizing the paramount importance of CSR and are implementing numerous society-centric activities. The need of the hour for you is to design strategic plans and policies in line with your vision so that CSR can be implemented to realize your goal of social betterment. Health-centric CSR can help you be at the forefront of community welfare. If you need any help in sculpting health and wellness CSR activities for your firm, contact OSH Medics Healthcare.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director

hospertz@gmail.com

+91 9867712705/ 9820833149