Fairfax India Charitable Foundation, Tanker Foundation & Rotary Club of Madras West unite for a noble cause
Chennai, May 4, 2017: Millions suffer from kidney diseases and many of them, particularly in India, cannot afford
the cost of treatment or care. With an aim to provide subsidized dialysis to underprivileged patients
suffering from chronic kidney diseases, Fairfax India Charitable Trust and Tamilnad Kidney Research
Foundation (TANKER Foundation) along with Rotary Club of Madras West (RCMW) have joined hands to
reach out to the needy in Chennai.
Tiruverkadu Dialysis Centre was selected as the first partnership project to launch this initiative, where Fairfax
India Charitable Foundation along with Tamilnad Kidney Research (Tanker) Foundation & Rotary Club of Madras
West (RCMW) offer access to affordable quality dialysis through its 12 dialysis machines, and hence provide aid
to an estimated suffering population of more than 3000 patients in and around Tiruverkadu.
Given the strong value that the Fairfax Group places on giving back to the community, Mr. Prem Watsa, CEO &
Chairman Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, on his recent visit to India travelled to Tiruverkadu to inaugurate
this dialysis centre. Accompanying Mr. Watsa at the inauguration were Mr. Chandran Ratnaswami- M.D,
Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd, Mr. Madhavan Menon – Trustee Faifax India Charitable Foundation &
CMD Thomas Cook Group, Mr. Abraham Alapatt – CEO Fairfax India Charitable Foundation, Mr. Sashi Menon –
President, Rotary Club Madras West, Mr. Natarajan Nagoji – District Governor, Rotary Club and from the
TANKER Foundation: Dr. Georgi Abraham – Founder Trustee, Mrs. Latha Kumaraswami- Managing Trustee and
Mr. S. V. Venkatesan – Trustee.
In India, the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) & end stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing rapidly. It is
estimated that in India about 0.2 million ESRD patients are added every year & more than 1.3 million ESRD
patients need dialysis/kidney replacement as a lifesaving procedure. While India needs about 150,000 – 200,000
dialysis machines, currently there are only around 25000 dialysis machines which are primarily located in the top
10 cities. The burden of the high cost of dialysis to be taken multiple times a week & travelling long distances to
access the dialysis facility, puts a tremendous financial burden on the ESRD patients & their families.
To support this cause, Fairfax India Charitable Foundation (FICF) has undertaken a large scale social welfare
initiative providing free to use dialysis machines to suitable partners thereby supporting the partner in reducing
their large capital cost burden. The initiative is focused on providing a holistic, high impact, collaborative and
sustainable ecosystem that offers affordable, quality dialysis services to underprivileged dialysis patients, in
regions of India where there is negligible or no access to dialysis.
Speaking on this noble cause, suggested by the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Prem Watsa
CEO & Chairman Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited said, “The Fairfax Foundation has been set up primarily
to focus on supporting the worthy cause of creating an increased and affordable dialysis access programme. Our
collaborative efforts with group companies as well as partners and well-wishers, is aimed at raising funds to
place a significant number of machines across various credible non-profit organisations operating in far flung
areas and at a target price that is significantly lower than the current market; thus creating an affordable and
sustainable eco system of dialysis access for India’s poorest.”
About Fairfax India Charitable Foundation: Fairfax India Charitable Foundation, established in Mumbai on
November 9, 2016, is focussed on undertaking public charitable activities addressing issues of health, hunger,
poverty, malnutrition, education, gender equality and empowerment of women, environment sustainability,
conserving national heritage, art and culture and various other charitable activities that create a high impact &
sustainable ecosystem for the society at large.
One such large impact project that the Fairfax India Charitable Foundation has undertaken is aimed at making a
difference by saving lives through contributing to the dialysis ecosystem in India. The objective is to develop a
high impact, holistic, sustainable and collaborative ecosystem that offers affordable, quality dialysis services to
renal patients in parts of India where there is no/poor dialysis access.
By providing free to use dialysis machines, the initiative aims at supporting more than 150 dialysis centres
across rural India with poor or no dialysis facilities. In addition, the Foundation intends to offer dialysis centres
more than 900,000 dialysis (sessions) per annum across India at a subsidized dialysis cost, which is 30 to 40%
lower than the market. The Fairfax India Charitable Foundation will also facilitate training of dialysis nurses and
doctors among partners through training institutes, foundations and creating disease awareness and educating
dialysis patients on State Government insurance schemes and benefits.
About Tamilnad Kidney Research (Tanker) Foundation: TANKER Foundation is a renowned NGO,
established 23 years ago, for serving the underprivileged with kidney ailments and has significantly contributed
to healthcare, research, training, creating awareness and conducting medical camps for early detection and
advocacy of treatment for kidney related diseases. TANKER Foundation manages 62 dialysis stations in 5 units
across India and has so far provided 204,358 free and subsidized dialysis treatments for 987 patients. TANKER
Foundation will overlook the responsibility of running the Tiruverkadu Dialysis Centre.
About Rotary Club of Madras West: Rotary Club of Madras West is one of the oldest Rotary Clubs in
Chennai. To commemorate the completion of 50 years of yeoman service to the poor and needy across rural
areas in the outskirts of Chennai, the Rotary Club of Madras West has commissioned a subsidized dialysis centre at the Tiruverkadu Medical Centre.
