Private, public partnership can change face of health care

How did you achieve your status as one of India’s enduring icons? The person I have to thank the most for being a vital beacon in my life is my father. We were very happy and settled abroad, when a letter from him changed my life. He told that while they were extremely proud of my […]

How did you achieve your status as one of India’s enduring icons?
 The person I have to thank the most for being a vital beacon in my life is my father. We were very happy and settled abroad, when a letter from him changed my life. He told that while they were extremely proud of my success in the USA, it was time to think about my responsibility to my motherland. It was time to use my experience and clinical skills to help my fellow Indians. That was the genesis of the dream. I came back to India, and most immediately felt the dire need for a world-class hospital.
We started Apollo Hospitals with the simple mission to ensure top quality healthcare came to India, rather than Indians having to travel to distant corners of the world to get it. Thanks to my tireless team, today we have touched the lives of over 45 million patients. Others have been inspired too; India now has over 750 corporate hospitals. Today people from across the globe travel to India to get treated.
 Growing up in the small village of Aragonda in Andhra Pradesh, India how did you come to fulfil your dreams?
I sometimes feel that being from Aragonda had a large part to play in my destiny of being in healthcare. In mythology, it is said that when Hanuman was transporting the mountain with the life-restoring Sanjivani herb to save Lakshmana who was hurt in battle, a part of the mountain dropped in south India, and that became Aragonda.
My dream was always to heal, and I knew that books would be my path to achieving that. I was a serious student and the first person from my village to leave for a higher education. I have to thank my family for their broad mindedness, and their total support for me to nurture my dreams.
My early years in Aragonda instilled in me the belief that wonderful things can happen if you don’t let go of your dreams. This lesson has been invaluable in every stage of my life since then.
 What was your vision when establishing Apollo Hospitals?
The vision was to bring international healthcare within the reach of every individual. It was to attract the best medical talent to India including doctors from across the globe. We wanted to set up an integrated healthcare model that covered every facet of healthcare. More importantly it was to make concepts like clinical excellence, patient safety the norm in Indian healthcare.
We were always aware that one hospital group would never be enough to cover a billion citizens of India, so we wanted to catalyse the private healthcare sector in the nation.
 As a private entity has there been any recognition from the government for the contributions that Apollo Hospitals have made to healthcare?
 The government of India has recognised Apollo hospitals for its selfless service to humanity by issuing a postage stamp to commemorate the group’s pioneering work for over a quarter of a century. In 2010 I was individually conferred with the second highest civilian award, the “Padma Vibhushan”. These unequalled commendations from the government of India are an acknowledgement of the group’s untiring pursuit for excellence in healthcare as we strive towards touching a billion lives.
 Has there been any recognition from your peers and other health stakeholders?
One of the earliest recognition I received was the Padma Bhushan award in 1991 for the contribution to the emergence of the private healthcare sector and role in bringing about several regulatory changes relating to licensing, import restrictions, organ transplantation. Adding to the number of esteemed awards and recognitions are the Mother St. Teresa’s ‘Citizen of the Year Award’, the ‘Asia Pacific Bio Business Leadership Award’ by the University of Southern California, and Modern Medicare Excellence Award by the ICICI Group for outstanding achievements in the healthcare industry and numerous Life Time Achievement Awards.
 Under your leadership what philanthropic work has the group of hospitals accomplished?
As a group we have been part of various activities. The Apollo group has undertaken philanthropic work through ‘Save a Child’s Heart Initiative’ (SACHI), the CURE Foundation for cancer care, the Indian Head Injury Foundation (IHIF), ‘Distance Healthcare Advancement’ (DISHA) and many others that have touched the lives of several hundred thousand children, differently-abled people, cancer and brain trauma patients.
Apollo helmed the Billion Hearts Beating campaign. With India reeling under the impact of Non Communicable Disease, and emerging as a leader in cardiac ailments, this movement was crucial to educate India about heart health.
More recently, we have started ‘Total Health’ in my native village, a model to care for an individual from birth and all through their life.
 How has the hospital group grown from when it was set up to date?
 Starting from a 150-bed hospital in 1983, the group has since continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, clinical services and cutting edge research. With a network of over 8500 beds across 54 hospitals at culturally diverse locations in India and overseas, over 8000 top class clinicians and total employee strength of more than 65,000 professionals, the Apollo Hospitals Group is one of the largest hospital groups in the world, being consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals for advanced medical services. These hospitals have served over 45 million patients from 120 countries, with eight of them having the prestigious JCI accreditation. The group has grown exponentially both in India and overseas. Its growth is often said to be synonymous with India emerging as a major hub in global healthcare. Today Apollo Hospitals Group is an integrated healthcare organisation with owned and managed hospitals, diagnostic clinics, dispensing pharmacies and consultancy services. In addition, the group’s service offerings include healthcare at the patient’s doorstep, clinical and diagnostic services, healthcare ICT and health insurance. To enhance performance and service to customers, the company also makes available the services to support business, telemedicine services, education, training programmes and research services and a host of other non-profit projects.