The Apollo group, the third largest private healthcare provider in the world, plans to start a special community healthcare policy for non-resident Indians, to commemorate its 20th anniversary.
Dr. Pratap C Reddy, chairman of the group, said the healthcare chain plans to start a special community policy at $400 per year for NRIs, offering healthcare in any Apollo hospital in India. This policy will offer good healthcare to those NRIs who find the cost of treatment in the developed countries quite high, he said, adding the money would also cover the NRIs' transport charges to India.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, Reddy outlined aggressive plans for growth and the group's decision to reach out to the world.
"India is going to be the healthcare destination of the world and our aim is to be the world's second largest private healthcare provider by our 25th anniversary," Reddy said.
"It is a proud moment for all of us at Apollo today. The dream to provide quality healthcare services to people, without a need for them to travel abroad has taken place. Now, we want people from abroad to come to India. We have touched the lives of over 10 million people in the last two decades," Reddy said.
To become the world's second largest private healthcare provider, the group is consolidating its activities in the "entire healthcare orbit and is looking at leveraging its strengths in providing treatment services and comprehensive medical solutions to people and corporates outside India as well."
Apollo plans to offer its expertise in telemedicine, medical business process outsourcing, IT services and preventive healthcare management. The group was instrumental in introducing telemedicine facility in India and has a pan-India network of 35 telemedicine centres in areas including the interiors of the North East, rural South India and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The group has also started training facilities for medical and para-medical professionals. According to Reddy, there is a dearth of qualified professionals all over the world. "We should be able to supply medical professionals when the need arises. For that, it is necessary to have them trained in advance." Reddy pointed out.
The quality healthcare provided by Indian hospitals at a lower cost has already attracted people from the Asian and African countries. "Soon patients would start coming to India from the developed world too," he said.
In 1983, Reddy started the first centre of the Apollo chain of hospitals in Chennai. The 150-bed hospital has now grown into a healthcare chain that has over 37 hospitals, 46 clinics, 6,200 beds, and 16,000 employees.
Reddy's decision to come back to India in the early eighties after giving up a lucrative medical practice in the United States was due to the unfortunate death of a young Indian executive in 1979.
The young man lost his life because he had no money to go to the US for a coronary bypass surgery. Reddy then decided that he would provide quality healthcare to Indians in India. Now, the Apollo group not only treats Indians living in India, but people all around the world too.