Kolkata, 7 August 2024: Association of Microfinance Institutions – West Bengal (AMFI-WB), a State Level Federation of Microfinance Institutions in West Bengal, organized the State Lenders’ Meet for Microfinance Industry in Kolkata on Wednesday.

 

The Bankers Meet was a great forum to discuss partnerships, tie-up and discuss on the opportunities that have opened-up through newer regulations, digital technology, newer models of funding for financial inclusion. Besides highlighting the services of the Microfinance and Banking sector, the conference also created awareness about the industry and its stakeholders through discussions at the Lenders’ meet.

 

Mr. Jiji Mammen, ED, Sa-Dhan, Ms. Usha Ramesh, CGM, NABARD along with representatives and members of AMFI-WB were present at the conference. The GM and DGM of SIDBI also were present in the Meet. The Chairman, MFIN and Chairperson, AMFI-WB also will join the session.

 

The participant Banks for the Lenders’ Meet included: IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, DCB Bank, SBM Bank, Central Bank of India, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Punjab & Sind Bank, City Union Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, Bank of Baroda, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India, State Bank of India, Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank, Bandhan Bank, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, among others.

 

Microfinance Sector has always been at the forefront of promoting inclusive growth through microfinance focusing on the underserved, mainly women, ensuring positive change in their economic status as also improving their quality of life through income enhancement and other socially relevant interventions. Thereby, the sector has an important role in supporting and building the unorganized sector, creating employment opportunities and contributing significantly to the nation’s GDP.

 

Since the focus is majorly on funding women, it also plays an important role in women empowerment. Microfinance also champions gender equality by providing women with access to financial services. As a catalyst for change, microfinance intertwines financial empowerment with social empowerment, paving the way towards a more inclusive and sustainable future.

 

Microfinance sector has been playing a significant role since pandemic in supporting the base of the pyramid to bring back normalization. This has been through restructuring of loans, relief on interest and principle. The sector continued to provide funding support to rehabilitate their business and bring them back to normalization.

 

The sector has also displayed its strong resilience and continued to honour payment commitments to all its stakeholders, despite serious headwinds post pandemic. The Government and Regulators, during and post-pandemic, created an enabling environment through various positive policy interventions that includes RBI’s revised regulatory framework, Government Guaranteed funding, interest subvention making the sector stronger.

 

With the present collections and portfolio quality reaching normal levels, the sector is now focusing on responsible growth. The sector’s demand for funding too increasing as the clients served are looking for business growth and thereby further microcredit. With RBI allowing newer avenues/models of funding, besides the existing BC partnership model, the Co-Lending model, newer opportunities for Bank/Microfinance entities have opened-up. This is besides the Lending, securitization and all other existing funding models.

 

The Association of Micro Finance Institutions – West Bengal (AMFI – WB) is an institution which endeavors to promote and develop microfinance in the state of West Bengal. It was formed to deliver better services to the poor, thereby helping these populations improve their standards of living. The mission of AMFI-WB is to build a fair and congenial environment for community development financing in West Bengal helping members to serve their target clients, particularly women from financially underserved families in pursuit of sustainable livelihood, both in rural and urban area. AMFI – WB currently caters to around 79 lakh poor women by providing them with financial services, especially micro credit. With a membership of over 48 Micro Finance Institutions, Banks, Fintechs, Insurances, Health Service Providers, and Software Companies etc., approximately 33000 employees hail from lower economic background. AMFI-WB regularly conducts stakeholder meets at the district level, management development programs for its members, microfinance industry-related seminars & workshops, and member meetings on matters of mutual interest.

 

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Apollo Hospitals Launches Revolutionary Apollo Joint PreservationProgram in India A New Approach to Joint Care with Early Intervention and Personalized Treatment to preserve mobility and confidence

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Kolkata, March , 2025:Apollo Hospitals launched its innovative Apollo Joint Preservation Program in India, that is set to revolutionize joint care across its network. This pioneering initiative focuses on early intervention and personalized treatment to help individuals maintain their mobility and confidence, all the while fostering a proactive approach to joint health.Present at the launch were Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director – Apollo Hospitals,Dr. Brett Fritsch,Orthopaedic Surgeon, Arthroscopic and Replacement Specialist – Knee, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydneyand senior doctors from the Orthopaedic Department at Apollo Hospitals.

Designed to provide comprehensive, trust-based joint care, Apollo Joint Preservation Program is tailored to the needs of patients suffering from joint pain, arthritis, inflammatory conditions, and ligament injuries. By emphasizing active and healthy lifestyle habits, the program seeks to alleviate discomfort and potentially avoid the need for invasive procedures for as long as possible.

Congratulating the team at the launch ofJoint Preservation Program,Dr.Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director – Apollo Hospitals said, “The Joint Preservation Program at Apollo is built around patient comfort and support, designed to benefit individuals of all ages who may not be aware of the treatment options available for joint pain or degeneration. Through this unique program, our team of specialists will focus on ‘3 Ts’: Tailored advice, Treatment (both medical and surgical), and Therapies (including rehabilitation, nutrition, and alternative therapies). This multi-city initiative underscores our commitment to helppeople preserve their mobility and enhance their quality of life for long term. By prioritizing joint function optimization, we want to empower individuals to maintain an active lifestyle and continue doing what they love.”

The program allows patients to benefit from early diagnosis and customized therapies that can potentially delay or avoid major joint health issues. Patients who have been advised any treatment for their affected joints elsewhere, as well as those seeking their first consultation for joint pain, will now have access to a wide array of comprehensive treatment options.

Dr. Abheek Kar, Senior Consultant – Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospitals, Kolkata said, “The Joint Preservation Program places emphasis on early non-invasive and minimally invasive interventions to maintain optimal joint health. This can be useful even at a younger age for individuals in their 30s or 40s to pre-empt the development of any crippling joint problems in the future. The incorporation of such therapies will give patients a proactive pathway to regain mobility and live a pain-free life. This program reflects our commitment to patient-centric care with personalized treatment to prevent pain and preserve and restore joint function.”

By harnessing advanced Orthobiologic therapies alongside pioneering regenerative treatments such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and cutting-edge stem cell applications, we empower patients to maintain and enhance their joint functionality. This bespoke approach not only aids in circumventing any major surgical interventions but also encourages a dynamic, active lifestyle, thereby ensuring long-term joint health and overall well-being.

PRP injections will leverage the body’s inherent healing capacity to diminish inflammation and expedite joint repair. Regenerative therapies, including stem cell treatments, aim to rejuvenate cartilage and enhance overall joint functionality, while surgical strategies such as osteotomies will rectify alignment discrepancies, providing sustained relief and improved mobility. Additional surgical modalities will include arthroscopic and open procedures for chondral defects, meniscal repairs, ligament reconstructions, and procedures like Unicondylar Knee Replacement, which strive to preserve more of the natural joint architecture and function.

Furthermore, patients will receive an extensive range of support services, encompassing physiotherapy, rehabilitation, nutritional counseling for weight management, and other adjunct therapies. This holistic strategy is designed not only to safeguard natural joint function but also to cultivate patient trust and sustained engagement with their healthcare provider, thereby facilitating a seamless transition to joint replacement when deemed absolutely necessary.

With a spectrum of treatment options and support services now available through this Joint Preservation Program, Apollo Hospitals is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all while promoting a more active and fulfilling lifestyle.

About Apollo Hospitals
Apollo revolutionised healthcare when Dr.Prathap C. Reddy opened the first hospital in Chennai in 1983. Today, Apollo is India’s largest integrated healthcare platform with over 10,000 beds across 73 hospitals, over 6000 pharmacies and over 200 clinics and diagnostic centres, as well as 150 telemedicine centres. It is the world’s leading Cardiac Centre with over 200,000 surgeries and the world’s largest private cancer care provider. Apollo continues to invest in research to bring the most cutting-edge technologies, equipment and treatment protocols to ensure patients have the best available care in the world. Apollo’s 100,000 family members are dedicated to bringing you the best care and leaving the world better than we found it.

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