Apollo Hospitals launches Post Covid Recovery Clinics

APOLLO HOSPITALS LAUNCHES POST-COVID RECOVERY CLINICS ACROSS NETWORK

~ Clinics will help patients who have recovered from COVID but are suffering from persistent effects ~

 The Apollo Hospitals Group today announced the launch of Post-COVID Recovery Clinics across the hospital network. The Post-COVID Recovery Clinics will address the rising number of patients who have recovered from COVID but are suffering from the mid and long term persistent effects of the infection. Over 50% of COVID patients suffer from problems that include breathlessness, chest pain and heart issues, joint pains, vision problems, and memory loss months after contracting the novel coronavirus. The Post-COVID Recovery Clinics will be manned by a team of specialists including neurologists and immunologists to help patients deal with the aftermath of COVID-19 and restore them to health. In Chennai, the Post-COVID Recovery Clinic will be conducted at the Apollo Hospitals Greams Road, Chennai.

 Ms. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “We had realized early on that addressing the COVID challenge would require a comprehensive response plan and had launched Project Kavach in March, which integrated all aspects from patient education, screening and assessment, testing, to infrastructure for quarantine and treatment. With COVID showing that it has lingering effects in patients who have recovered from the virus infection, it became necessary to add the element of post-recovery care to help recovered patients return to their normal life. We are launching these clinics across the group network in various cities. The Post-COVID Recovery Clinics would be a one-stop shop for patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but still have persistent medical effects and symptoms. The clinics will enable us to provide coordinated care without the patient having to run around to different specialists and avoid duplication of testing that a patient might otherwise undergo.”

Dr. V. Ramasubramanian, Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Many patients who have recovered from COVID-19 at our hospitals have been contacting us for symptoms that they are having, and not knowing where to go for them. To address these health issues faced by patients who have recovered from COVID-19, we have started the Post-COVID Recovery Clinics. These exclusive clinics for post-COVID care will help patients to connect to the specialised care that they need. We have laid down the guidelines and have trained the clinicians to ensure that patients get the correct treatment. The clinics will help patients recover completely from the consequences of COVID-19 and return to living life as before COVID.”

COVID-19 impacts almost all the vital organs in the body. Apart from acute events like stroke and myocardial infarction, chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension are part of the post-COVID syndrome. A number of sudden deaths in post-covid patients have been reported and most of these are attributed to acute cardiac events.

Dr. Sundararajan, Senior Consultant Pulmonologist, Apollo Hospitals said, “COVID-19 attacks not just the lungs but other organs in the body and leaves behind lingering health issues. Some of the manifestations occur weeks and months after the treatment for acute phase is completed and patient has recovered and impact the well-being of individuals beyond the acute phase. While longer-term problems are more common among patients who have been hospitalized, even patients who have recovered from a mild case can suffer from the prolonged effects of the virus. Some of the long-term effects may be severe and disabling in nature. This specialized clinic will enable us to monitor symptoms of patients on an ongoing basis and delivery timely medical attention.”

Dr. Suresh, Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals said, “Before COVID-19, we were already facing a tsunami of NCDs that were responsible for over 70% of the deaths. The post-COVID syndrome is adding to this disease load and if not addressed with a special focus will lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality beyond the pandemic with a large number of chronically ill individuals who have recovered from COVID. The specialised clinics will prevent acute components of the post-COVID syndrome from progressing further and effectively manage the chronic situations which form part of the post-COVID syndrome through a patient-focused, comprehensive, teleconsult and clinic based program.”

The Post-COVID Recovery Clinics will initially be launched in Apollo hospitals treating COVID in Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mysore, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Delhi, Indore, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The clinics will be manned by a dedicated team consisting of a Family Physician assisted by a nurse.

 For appointments, please visit https://www.apollohospitals.com/or call 044-28293333

அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகள் குழுமம் தனது மருத்துவமனைகளில் கோவிட்-19 க்கு பிந்தைய

அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகள் குழுமம் தனது மருத்துவமனைகளில் கோவிட்-19 க்கு பிந்தைய தொடர் சிகிச்சை மையங்களை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது

 Ø  கோவிட் – 19 தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட, ஆனால் தொடர்ச்சியான விளைவுகளால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள நோயாளிகளுக்கு திறம்பட்ட முறையில் சிகிச்சை வழங்க இந்த சிறப்புக் கிளினிக்குகள் உதவும்

அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகள் குழுமம் தனது மருத்துவமனை வலையமைப்பு முழுவதும் கோவிட் தொற்றுக்குப் பிந்தைய சிகிச்சைக்கான கிளினிக்குகளை தொடங்குவதாக அறிவித்துள்ளது. கோவிட் தொற்றுக்குப் பிந்தைய இந்த கிளினிக்குகள் கோவிட் தொற்றுபாதிப்பிலிருந்து மீண்டு வந்த ஆனால் நோய்த்தொற்றால் ஏற்படும் நடுத்தர மற்றும் நீண்டகால விளைவுகளால் பாதிக்கப்படும் நோயாளிகளின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்து வரும் நிலையில், அவர்களது சிக்கல்களை இந்த சிகிச்சை மையங்கள் தீர்க்கும்.  கோவிட்-19 நோயாளிகளில் 50 சதவீத்துக்கும் அதிகமானோர் வைரஸ் தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட பின் சில மாதங்களுக்குப் பிறகு மூச்சுத் திணறல், நெஞ்சு வலி மற்றும் இதய பிரச்சினைகள், மூட்டு வலி, பார்வை பிரச்சினைகள் மற்றும் நினைவாற்றல் இழப்பு உள்ளிட்ட சிக்கல்களால் பாதிக்கப்படுகின்றனர். கோவிட்-19 தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட பிறகு நோயாளிகளுக்கு தொடர் சிகிச்சை அளிக்கவும், அவர்களை ஆரோக்கியமாக மீட்டெடுக்கவும் உதவும் வகையில், நரம்பியல் நிபுணர்கள் மற்றும் நோய் எதிர்ப்பு நிபுணர்கள் உள்ளிட்ட நிபுணர்களின் குழுவால் இந்த கோவிட்-டுக்கு பிந்தைய கிளினிக்குகள் நிர்வகிக்கப்படுகின்றன. சென்னையில், கிரீம்ஸ்ரோடு, அப்போலோ மருத்துவமனையில் கோவிட்-க்கு பிந்தைய சிறப்புசிகிச்சை, மீட்பு மருத்துவமனை செயல்படும்.

 இது குறித்து அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகள் குழுமத்தின் துணைத் தலைவர் ப்ரீதா ரெட்டி கூறுகையில், "கோவிட் சவாலை எதிர்கொள்வதற்கு ஒரு விரிவான சிகிச்சை திட்டம் தேவைப்படும் என்பதை நாங்கள் ஆரம்பத்திலேயே உணர்ந்து, மார்ச் மாதத்திலே கவாச் என்ற திட்டத்தைத் தொடங்கினோம், இது நோயாளியிக்கு விழிப்புணர்வு ஏற்படுத்துதல், ஆய்வு செய்தல், மதிப்பீடு, சோதனை, தனிமைப்படுத்தல் மற்றும் சிகிச்சைக்கான உள்கட்டமைப்பு வரை அனைத்து அம்சங்களையும் ஒருங்கிணைப்பதாக அமைந்தது.

 வைரஸ் தொற்றிலிருந்து மீண்டாலும் அது நீடித்த விளைவுகளைக் கொண்டிருப்பதாக அமைந்துள்ளது. எனவே மீண்ட நோயாளிகள் முழுவதும் இயல்பு வாழ்க்கைக்குத் திரும்புவதற்கு உதவ, மீட்புக்குப் பிந்தைய கவனிப்பின் அம்சங்கள் அவசியமானது. எனவே இதற்கான கிளினிக்குகளை பல்வேறு நகரங்களில் உள்ள எங்களது மருத்துவமனைகளில் தொடங்குகிறோம். கோவிட் -19-லிருந்து மீண்ட ஆனால் தொடர்ந்து விளைவுகள் மற்றும் அறிகுறிகளைக் கொண்ட

  நோயாளிகளுக்கு இந்த கோவிட்-டுக்குப் பிந்தைய மீட்பு கிளினிக்குகள் ஒரே தளத்தில்மேம்பட்ட சிகிச்சைகளை வழங்கும் சிறந்த இடமாகத் திகழும். நோயாளி வெவ்வேறு நிபுணர்களிடம் செல்லாமல் ஒருங்கிணைந்த கவனிப்பைப் பெறவும் அவர்களுக்கு சிறந்த சிகிச்சை வழங்கவும் இந்த கிளினிக்குகள் உதவும். மேலும் ஒரு நோயாளி மேற்கொள்ளக்கூடிய பல்வேறு பரிசோதனைகளைத் தவிர்க்கவும் இது உதவும்.” என்றார்.

 அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனையைச் சேர்ந்த தொற்று நோய் சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவு மூத்த ஆலோசகர் டாக்டர் வி.ராமசுப்பிரமணியன் கூறுகையில், “கோவிட் -19-லிருந்து மீண்ட பல நோயாளிகள், தொடர் சிக்கல்கள் ஏற்படுதவால் எங்களைத் தொடர்பு கொள்கின்றனர். இதற்கு எங்கு செல்ல வேண்டும் என்று அவர்களுக்குத் தெரியவில்லை. கோவிட் -19-லிருந்து மீண்ட நோயாளிகள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் இந்த சுகாதார பிரச்சினைகளுக்கு தீர்வு காண, கோவிட்-டுக்கு பிந்தைய மீட்புக்கான சிகிச்சை அளிக்கும் மையங்களைத்  (கிளினிக்குகள்) தொடங்கியுள்ளோம். கோவிட்-டுக்குப் பிந்தைய பராமரிப்புக்கான இந்த பிரத்யேக கிளினிக்குகள் நோயாளிகளுக்குத் தேவையான சிறப்பு கவனிப்புகளை வழங்க உதவும். நாங்கள் வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறைகளை வகுத்துள்ளதுடன், நோயாளிகள் சரியான சிகிச்சையைப் பெறுவதை உறுதி செய்ய வல்லுநர்களுக்கு பயிற்சி அளித்துள்ளோம். நோயாளிகள் கோவிட்-19 இன் விளைவுகளிலிருந்து முழுமையாக மீண்டு, கோவிட்டுக்கு முந்தைய நிலையைப் போலவே இயல்பு வாழ்க்கைக்கு முழுமையாக அவர்கள் திரும்ப இந்த கிளினிக்குகள் உதவும்.” என்றார்.

 கோவிட்-19 உடலில் உள்ள அனைத்து முக்கிய உறுப்புகளையும் பாதிக்கிறது. பக்கவாதம் மற்றும் மாரடைப்பு போன்ற கடுமையான நிகழ்வுகளைத் தவிர, நீரிழிவு மற்றும் உயர் இரத்த அழுத்தம் போன்ற நாள்பட்ட நிலைமைகள் கோவிட்-க்குப் பிந்தைய நோய்க்குறியின் ஒரு பகுதியாகும். கோவிட் தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட நோயாளிகளில் சிலர் திடீரென உயிரிழந்துள்ளனர். இவர்களில் பெரும்பாலான உயிரிழப்புகள் கடுமையான இதயக் கோளாறால் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளன.

 அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனையின் மூத்த நுரையீரல் சிகிச்சை நிபுணர் டாக்டர் சுந்தரராஜன் கூறுகையில், " கோவிட் -19 நுரையீரலை மட்டுமல்லாமல், உடலில் உள்ள மற்ற உறுப்புகளையும் பாதித்து நீடித்த சுகாதார பிரச்சினைகளை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. கோவிட்-19 தொற்றின் கடுமையான கட்டத்திற்கான சிகிச்சை முடிந்ததும், நோயாளி குணமடைந்து வீடு திரும்புகிறார். தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட பிறகு நல்வாழ்வை பாதிக்கும் சில நிகழ்வுகள், சில வாரங்கள் மற்றும் சில மாதங்களுக்குப் பிறகு சிலருக்கு ஏற்படுகின்றன. கோவிட்-19தொற்றுக்காக மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்க்கப்படும் நோயாளிகள் பலர் நீண்டகால நோய்களை உடையவர்கள். ஆனாலும் லேசான அறிகுறிகள் இருந்து தொற்றில் இருந்து மீண்ட நோயாளிகள் சிலர் கூட வைரஸின் நீண்டகால விளைவுகளால் பாதிக்கப்பட வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. சில நீண்டகால விளைவுகள் கடுமையானதாகவும் வாழ்வை முடக்குவதாகவும் இருக்கக்கூடும். இந்த கோவிட்-19-க்குப் பிந்தைய சிகிச்சைக்கான சிறப்பு மருத்துவமனைகள், நோயாளிகளின் அறிகுறிகளை தொடர்ச்சியான அடிப்படையில் கண்காணிக்கவும் சரியான நேரத்தில் அவர்களுக்கு உரிய மருத்துவ கவனிப்பை வழங்கவும் உதவும்.” என்றார்.

  அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகளின் தொற்று நோய் சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவின் மூத்த ஆலோசகர் டாக்டர் சுரேஷ் கூறுகையில், “கோவிட்-19 பாதிப்புக்கு முன்னர், நாங்கள் ஏற்கனவே தொற்றா நோய்களின் (NCD) அதிகரித்த பாதிப்புகளை எதிர்கொண்டோம். அவை 70 சதவீதத்துக்கும் அதிகமான மரணங்களுக்கு காரணமாக இருந்தன. தற்போது கோவிட் பாதிப்பு ஏற்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில், கோவிட்-19-க்குப் பிறகு இந்த நோய்த் தாக்கங்களின் விளைவுகள் அதிகரிக்கும். மேலும் கூடுதல் சிறப்பு கவனம் செலுத்தாவிட்டால், தொற்றுநோயைத் தாண்டி நோயுற்ற தன்மை மற்றும் இறப்பு அதிகரிக்கும் நிலை ஏற்படக் கூடும்.  ஏற்கெனவே நீண்ட கால நோய்கள் இருந்தவர்கள் கோவிட்-19 தொற்றால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு மீண்டிருந்தால் அவ்வாறு மற்ற நோய்வாய்ப்பட்ட நபர்கள் அதிக தொடர் பாதிப்புகளைத் சந்திக்கக் கூடும். இந்த சிறப்பு கிளினிக்குகள் கோவிட்டு-க்கு பிந்தைய நோய்த் தன்மையின் கடுமையான விளைவுகள் மேலும் அதிகரிப்பதைத் தடுக்கும். நோயாளியை மையமாகக் கொண்ட, விரிவான, தொலைத் தொடர்பு ஆலோசனை மற்றும் கிளினிக்கில் நேரடி அடிப்படையிலான சிகிச்சைத் திட்டத்தின் மூலம் கோவிட்-க்கு பிந்தைய நோய்த் தாக்கத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியாக உருவாகும் நாட்பட்ட பாதிப்புகளை திறம்படத் தவிர்க்க இந்த சிறப்பு கிளினிக்குள் உதவும்.” என்றார்.

 முதல் கட்டமாக, சென்னை, மதுரை, ஹைதராபாத், பெங்களூரு, மைசூர், கொல்கத்தா, புவனேஸ்வர், குவஹாத்தி, டெல்லி, இந்தூர், லக்னோ, மும்பை மற்றும் அகமதாபாத் ஆகிய நகரங்களில் கோவிட் தொற்று பாதிப்புக்கு சிகிச்சையளிக்கும் அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவமனைகளில் இந்த கோவிட் சிகிச்சைக்குப் பிந்தைய தொடர் சிகிச்சை மையங்கள் உருவாக்கப்படும். இந்தக் கிளினிக்குகள் ஒரு செவிலியரின் உதவியுடன் ஒரு குடும்ப நல மருத்துவரைக் கொண்ட ஒரு பிரத்யேக குழுவால் நிர்வகிக்கப்படும்.

 முன்பதிவுகளுக்கhttps://www.apollohospitals.com/இணைய தளத்தைப் பார்வையிடவும் அல்லது 044-28293333என்ற எண்ணை அழைக்கவும்.

Top five reasons why blockchain technology

 Top five reasons why blockchain technology compliments e-invoicing

The current pandemic has brought to fore the significance of digitalization to fast track the accounts receivables process in these uncertain times. E-invoicing is one way to accelerate delivery of invoices and collection of payments. However, since invoicing is an activity that consists of multiple parties (customers, vendors, suppliers etc.), it is susceptible to delays, errors and frauds. Ensuring digital trust will be fundamental in the post-COVID era, and Blockchain fits the bill. Blockchain brings a unique level of trust in the payment process, allowing government and businesses to process payments in a swift and secure manner. This listicle encapsulates the top five reasons why blockchain technology is best suited for modern e-invoicing solutions-

1. An immutable ledger- Blockchain comes to the rescue to solve the trust deficit in invoicing, as the original encapsulated block can never get deleted. It is the perfect fit for multi-party collaboration. This decentralized blockchain system will effectively streamline the adoption of e-invoicing by registered GST businesses, without hindering the automation aspect.
   
   
2. Deterrent to fake invoices- Implementing a blockchain-based platform would eradicate the possibility of raising fake invoices as the access to the platform is highly secured. Every single node (third-party) has got two databases—a public database and a private database. The public database shares only a hash and the private database which contains the invoice. While the hash is circulated across the nodes for visibility of transaction, the invoice transfer occurs only from peer-to-peer. A separate connection is created for the private database exchange based on the Secure Token Transfer Protocol (STTP) mechanism, which prohibits fake invoicing.
   
   
3. Verification made easy & secure- Traditionally, verification of invoices has been cumbersome due to multiple approvals needed by various departments in an organization. Integrating blockchain technology within e-invoicing can accelerate the verification of invoices as all third parties are present on the platform and are notified when an invoice is raised in real-time. These e-invoices are shared with a unique unforgeable digital signature on the document to verify the sender’s identity.
   
   
4. Transaction speed- Typically a blockchain based e-invoicing solution uses voting-based consensus mechanisms. With such mechanism, transactions are almost instantaneous to match today's typical fast-paced commerce requirements.
   
   
5. Seamless ERP integration- e-invoices are generated by large number of businesses even today. However, they all use the format as provided by the ERP or billing software they use. Lack of standards leads to a scenario where an e-invoice generated on one billing software can’t be read by another, requiring manual data entry from electronically generated invoice.
   
   However, a blockchain based e-invoicing platform, can today come with reference document convertors and API that can be easily be customized and integrated in major ERP and EDI software. Blockchain additionally enhances the interoperability between the e-waybill and e-ticket systems while reducing dependency on IT infrastructure to simplify participation.

HP study reveals Indian SMBs banking on

HP study reveals Indian SMBs banking on Digital Transformation to rebound from COVID impact

Indian SMBs are more confident than their Asian peers in bouncing back post COVID

News highlights

·       73% of Indian SMBs are confident of bouncing back post COVID

·       64% believe that this period presents a good opportunity to reformulate their business strategy

·       75% SMBs in India believe that digital adoption is the key to their success

Small and Medium Business (SMBs) in India are looking to bounce back after facing stiff challenges due to the ongoing pandemic.  The HP Asia SMB Report 2020 – a study conducted among SMBs in the region has revealed that over 73% of SMBs in India are confident that they will survive and bounce back post COVID-19. This number is significantly higher than the regional average, which stood at 60%.

This confidence is reflected in the fact that almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents from India believe that this period presents a good opportunity to reformulate the business strategy. And half of the sample believe that the pandemic will ultimately bring opportunity, but in the longer term.

More importantly, SMBs in India recognize the importance of going digital to revive their businesses. Three-quarters (75%) of the surveyed businesses believe that digital adoption is essential or very important to their success.

Indian SMBs have also recognized 4 key aspects that will help them best to bounce back. These include:

“SMBs are critical to our economy as they contribute nearly a third of our GDP and generate employment for millions. The ongoing pandemic has impacted SMBs as much as any other segment. But the agility and flexibility in their operations, coupled with the adaptability to changing business environment and customer needs means they can bounce back far more quickly. However, it is critical to discover their challenges and address their pain points, which was the primary motivation for HP to commission this study,” said Ketan Patel, Managing Director, HP India Market.

  

“A key finding from the research is that the more a company values digital transformation, the more positive they are about future growth, and nowhere in Asia is this reflected as strongly as in India. The results of this study will enable HP in helping them adapt to new agile work environments, providing them the right devices, technology, and tools for them to unlock innovation for customers and drive growth for themselves”, he added.

Challenges

The survey also touched upon key challenges that Indian SMBs have identified as roadblocks on the road to recovery. While global instability tops the list of concerns, it is less pronounced in India than the rest of the Asian countries surveyed.

In addition, the research shows that growth correlates with how a company values digital adoption for its success. Of SMBs that reported good business growth in the past year, 56% see digital as a lever for success, with only 14% considering it of low importance.

As SMBs look to capture future growth opportunities, it has never been more critical to prioritize innovation and work with a partner to drive digital transformation.

Methodology

In total, 1,600 SMBs completed the survey between 26th May 2020 and 7th June 2020, which comprised of 200 interviews in each of the markets: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Only an Owner, Partner, Managing Director, CEO, COO, CFO, or a Director of a business with less than 200 employees was qualified for the survey. Interviews were split evenly between Micro Business (<10 employees), Small Business (10-49 employees), and Medium Business (50-199 employees). Multiple industries were represented including Retail/Wholesale, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Healthcare, Education and Financial Services.

USGIC Launches India’s 1st AI-powered Conversational Agent for

USGIC Launches India’s 1^st AI-powered Conversational Agent for Motor Insurance

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused ambiguity and disruption in customer services across the world and has changed the life of people in unthinkable ways. In these unforeseen circumstances, Universal Sompo General Insurance, as a customer-first organisation has launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered virtual agents for its motor claims services.

Universal Sompo's AI-powered virtual agents will use conversational AI to automate the routine conversations traditionally handled by live agents. The First Notice of Loss (FNOL), which is the first step in claims processing, is usually a call center-based service which requires extensive questions and data gathering. Customers who have had a motor accident and are wanting to register a quick claim are usually under stress and look for convenient ways to report the claim without having to wait in call queues. 

Offloading routine calls from customer service representatives to AI-powered virtual agents will create a far superior customer experience. The entire turnaround time (TAT) in the claim registration process is impacted significantly thereby reducing the wait time for filing a claim, checks on claims status, review of policy information, and much more - all the things live agents would typically manage. With this first-of-its-kind solution in the insurance sector in India, this entire process at Universal Sompo will shrink to a few minutes.

"Claims notification is a critical customer touchpoint in insurance. In Post-Covid era our biggest challenge is how we should Never Miss a Customer Call. AI automation will help streamline experience for both our customers and backend operations and we are placing big bets on it,” said Sharad Mathur, Managing Director & CEO, Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd.

As a customer-first and responsible organization, Universal Sompo has been consistently scaling up its technology and infrastructure to align itself not only with regulatory changes but also to provide best services to its customers. Hence, to remain future ready and always ahead of the curve, it has recently deployed various initiatives like Mobile Application (M-POS) for POS channel, Payment Integration with digital wallets, System for Crop Insurance and Customer self-service portal etc.

Soon, Universal Sompo will be co-creating many AI and digital solutions which will help offset productivity losses and successfully face challenges of new operating environments. It is keen on recognizing tech trends, evaluate business opportunities, and actively incorporate relevant processes and programs into the business model, for outpacing and outperforming market competition. At the same time, the company will try to deliver simpler, innovative and customer need-based products.

Homebuyer Preference Survey

 ‘Homebuyer Preference Survey - The COVID-19 Impact’

Key Highlights:

• Economic uncertainty and rising stock market volatility is positioning real estate as the preferred asset class for investments in India with over 50% of consumers considering buying a new home in the next six months
• 67% believe that buying a house is a necessity
• 91% respondents reinstate the importance of home ownership
• More than 50% of the prospective homebuyers indicated a preference to buy a 2 BHK apartment with size ranging from 800 to 1,000 sq ft.
• Markets of Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai provide indications of relatively healthy inventory management in terms of average construction period and YTS (years to sell). Further analysis reveals longer-term resilience might appear first in the southern markets of Bengaluru and Chennai

 

More consumers desire home ownership over renting despite COVID-19 challenges, says JLL

·         67% believe that buying a house is a necessity

·         91% respondents reinstate the importance of home ownership

Economic uncertainty and rising stock market volatility is positioning real estate as the preferred asset class for investments in India with over 50% of consumers considering buying a new home in the next six months, says JLL, India’s largest real estate consultancy firm. According to JLL’s Homebuyer Preference Survey, 91% respondents wanted to buy a home when asked to choose between buying and renting. Additionally, 67% believed that buying a home is a necessity, not a luxury.

The evolving COVID-19 pandemic will also influence short-term decision making with job security cited as the biggest concern when contemplating the purchase of a home, respondents say. The survey uncovered that a greater proportion of people in the age group of 20-35 years were likely to defer their home purchase plans by more than six months. Polled consumers above 35 years indicated that they are more inclined towards buying a property in the next six months. Also, more than 50% of the prospective homebuyers indicated a preference to buy a 2 BHK apartment with size ranging from 800 to 1,000 sq ft.

“Real estate has emerged as the most resilient asset class today and we see potential for more consumers to pivot towards home ownership in the longer-term. In tandem, ongoing work from home arrangements are pushing developers to become more flexible and give homebuyers the option of creating a study room if need be,” said Ramesh Nair, CEO & Country Head (India), JLL. The pandemic has also accelerated the pace of digital transformation amongst developers and intermediaries. In the past, we’ve seen project discovery happen online, this moved to virtual tours and interactions, and now one-fifth of the respondents in this survey said they’re digital-ready to affect their transaction online end-to-end,” he added.

The requirement of study rooms as work from home practices are adopted is a key highlight of the study. Elsewhere, the importance of healthy living is gaining currency as societies with wellness amenities are being favored. Furthermore, homebuyers want to mitigate the risk and are willing to pay a premium for properties from reputed developers, showing an affinity towards ready-to-move-in properties in gated societies and township projects. 

“It is encouraging that more than 50% of the prospective homebuyers surveyed have expressed their readiness to potentially buy homes within the next six months. At the same time, developers are relatively flexible to allay buyers’ concerns in this fragile business environment with respect to immediate cash outgo and long-term financial obligation by offering attractive flexible payment options with minimum upfront payment,” said Samantak Das, Chief Economist and Head Research & REIS, JLL.

Interest varies by market

The markets of Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai provide indications of relatively healthy inventory management in terms of average construction period and YTS (years to sell). Further analysis reveals longer-term resilience might appear first in the southern markets of Bengaluru and Chennai. The larger markets of Delhi NCR and Mumbai have high levels of unsold inventory in various stages of construction as well as greater YTS due to a prolonged slowdown in sales. The proportion of prospective homebuyers who deferred their home purchase decisions by more than six months is also higher in these larger markets.

Affordable and mid segments will continue to drive the market

Most respondents indicated a preference for properties in the sub INR 50 lakh and INR 50-75 lakh category. On the supply side, developers have also realigned their products, with 60% of the new launches in the past two years falling in the INR 50 lakh and INR 50-75 lakh price segments. The alignment of demand and supply will support the recovery process and it is expected that the affordable and mid-price segments will continue to witness maximum traction in the post-COVID era as well.

According to JLL, COVID-19 can be credited to be the catalyst for accelerating vital trends such as price rationalisation in larger markets, adoption of technological platforms to enable seamless buying and selling while resetting the significance of ‘owning’ a house amongst potential homebuyers. The survey was conducted in June-July this year and has seen participation from 2,500 respondents across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Newgen Software Reports Revenues of

Newgen Software Reports Revenues of Rs 132.1cr in Q1 FY’21, US Revenues up 36%

Focus on profitable and sustainable growth with growth in annuity business and profits

The management of Newgen Software Technologies Ltd. announced results for the Quarter ended 30 June 2020 at its Board Meeting held on 22 July 2020.

Speaking about the results, Mr. Diwakar Nigam, Chairman & Managing Director, Newgen Software Technologies Ltd. said – “During the quarter, we achieved revenues of Rs 132 crores. We continued to get business from our existing long-term customers ensuring full support to their mission-critical operations. We have also commissioned new solutions for them to fully managed remotely. We made 22 new customer additions during the quarter. Newgen has received a tremendous response, especially in the US region for our new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Forgiveness solutions.

With our continued focus on profitable growth, we have undertaken substantial efforts towards optimisation of costs across all spheres of the organisation leading to a significant expansion of our margins on a YoY basis even amidst this challenging market. We also continue to strengthen our liquidity position.

Employee safety and customer service continue to be at the forefront of our post-COVID strategy and we have adopted effective practices and solutions to ensure a safe and efficient remote working environment. We are successfully fulfilling our commitments through these measures and practices while ensuring data security.

We will continue our focus on taking measures for building resilience within the organization, investing for long-term goals, and growing our recurring revenues, profits, and cash flows as the demand and adoption for digital solutions accelerates.”

Key Consolidated Financial Highlights (Q1 FY’21) – [Y-o-Y Comparison]

•    Revenue from operations (Consolidated) at Rs 132.1 crores as compared to Rs 131.0 crores in Q1 FY’20.
o    Annuity Revenue streams (ATS/AMC, Support, and Cloud/SaaS) witnessed a growth of 11% YoY and reached Rs 87.1 crores providing improved visibility of the business.
o    Revenue from Sale of Products/ License were at Rs 20.8 crores
o    Implementation & Digitization revenues were at Rs 24.3 crores
•    EBIDTA up by 101% at Rs 15.6 crores compared to Rs 7.7 crores in Q1 FY’20
•    Profit after tax up by 196% at Rs 9.1 crores from Rs 3.1 crores in Q1 FY’20 based on strong cost rationalization initiatives undertaken by the Company.

Key Business Highlights (Q1 FY’21)

•    Prestigious and large customer wins: 22 credible new customer additions including:

o    15 new logo wins in the Americas region in Banking and Credit Union space
o    Mid-sized project for a global leader in energy transportation based in Qatar, (EMEA region)
o    Project for one of the largest and fastest growing insurance companies in the Philippines, offering financial security to 1.3 million individuals through group and individual life insurance products (APAC region)

•    Making strong in-roads in the US market with new offerings: Newgen’s revenues from the US region witnessed a growth of 36% YoY during the quarter, largely on the back of solution deployments under the Paycheck Protection Program. Leading banks and credit unions are now using Newgen for processing loan requests for PPP. Given Newgen’s unique positioning, these opportunities are expected to help in deeper penetration in the region thus supporting long term SaaS growth for the Company.

•    Banking & Financial Services and Insurance verticals continue to be the growth drivers
during the quarter with growth of 12% and 29% respectively.

•    Effective remote enablement measures: The Company continues to fulfill all customer commitments through effective remote enablement measures including institutionalizing new business processes and ways of working and thus leading to better collaboration, efficient delivery, and enhanced productivity despite lack of in- person interactions.