PayNearby, India's branchless banking and digital network, launches the Health Correspondents Program to provide affordable, accessible healthcare for vulnerable populations.

The initiative will leverage the company's existing network of retailers, such as kirana stores, mobile recharge stores, medical shops, customer service points (CSPs), and travel agents, along with new appointees through Gram Panchayats and local institutions.

Health Correspondents (HCs) will serve as intermediaries between healthcare providers and rural populations, aligning with India's Ayushman Bharat vision. PayNearby plans to use its Distribution as a Service (DaaS) network to provide essential healthcare services to rural Bharat, ensuring equitable access.

The program promotes healthcare products and services through health centers, offering discounts on medicines, tests, equipment, and telemedicine consultations. Additionally, HCs offer tailored insurance schemes to protect citizens from financial risks and uncertainties.

PayNearby aims to recruit Health Correspondents (HCs) in every corner of the country, utilizing existing infrastructure like gram panchayats. By the end of FY23–24, the company plans to convert at least 1 lakh of its million+ active retailers into HCs, thus expanding the reach of telemedicine services.

Speaking on the occasion, Anand Kumar Bajaj, Founder, MD & CEO, PayNearby, said -

“Healthcare is one of the most important parameters of a country’s progress. The true growth of a nation lies in its ability to provide comprehensive health services to its population. PayNearby understands the importance of prioritising people’s health and empowering them to take care of themselves and their families. By introducing Health Correspondents Program in our portfolio, we seek to bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare services, enabling citizens in Bharat to access all the necessary facilities available to their urban counterparts.

Our retailers are the flagbearers of the massive inclusion mission that we have undertaken. In times of crisis, they have always been at the beck and call of the citizens.

Their role during the pandemic, as community managers bringing government’s relief funds to the masses or ensuring mass registration for the immunisation program, gave us the confidence that our retail partners can double up as HCs and use technology to enable quality healthcare services in their communities.

With time and adequate handholding, HCs will be trained to bring about a behavorial shift so that technology can be used for all primary healthcare needs, whether it is teleconsultation with specialists, ordering medicine at discounted rates or health related awareness and training programs locally.”