CHENNAI: The state health department has formed a separate organisation, ‘Tamil Nadu Health Foundation’, under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP), to manage and streamline funds received under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in government hospitals.
In the order issued in this regard earlier this month, health secretary P Senthil Kumar said such a centralised agency is essential for streamlining the process and ensuring effective utilisation of all the contribution, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors to enhance healthcare services and infrastructure across the state.
Funds under CSR activities are currently received by the individual hospitals. These financial transactions are not audited and the donor also does not have an oversight on the utilisation of funds donated, the health secretary said in the order.
The foundation shall have a board of directors in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013. Health secretary will be the chairperson of the board; project director, TNHSP, will be a member secretary; and the members include mission director of National Health Mission-Tamil Nadu, MD of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Ltd, director of Medical Education and Research, director of Medical and Rural Health Services, director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
The director, TNHSP, is permitted to form state and district level committees for administrative purposes. The director is also permitted to apply to the I-T department for obtaining necessary exemptions under section 12AA and 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 along with the registration under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (Form1) of the CSR policy for all the donations.