Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How did you achieve your status as one of India's enduring icons?
I have been blessed with the love and respect that the people of India have given me.
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.
Prior to establishing the first Apollo hospital what was your previous career?
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Having received my pre-medical degree from the prestigious Madras Christian College
and medical degree from Stanley Medical College, Chennai I trained as a cardiologist in
the UK and later USA. After receiving my Fellowship from the Massachusetts General
Hospital, Boston, USA, I went on to head research programmes at the Missouri State
Chest Hospital USA whereby I worked for several years before returning to India in
1978.
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At the age of fifty, when most people start planning for retirement, you decided
that you wanted to revolutionize healthcare in India. What was your motivation?
The idea to establish Apollo Group of Hospitals started germinating almost as soon as I
came back to India, and started my practice in Chennai. The huge gap in quality
healthcare in our country was painfully obvious. This idea became an imperative for me
when I lost a patient who could not make it to Texas for an open heart surgery. I can still
recall the devastated faces of his wife and young children. I was then I decided that the
situation had become completely unacceptable, and something had to be done
immediately so that more people dont die just because they couldnt afford expensive
foreign treatment.
I aspired to create world-class medical infrastructure in India and make it more
accessible and affordable to common people. These efforts bore fruit when we
succeeded in setting up the first centre of the Apollo Hospitals Group in Chennai in
1983. Since its inception, Apollo has demonstrated that Indian skills and outcomes are
equivalent to the best centres in the world.
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 dont let go of your dreams. This lesson has been invaluable in every stage of my
life since then.
As a private entity has there been any recognition from the government for the
contribution that Apollo Hospitals has made to healthcare?
The Government of India has recognized Apollo hospitals for its selfless service to
humanity by issuing a postage stamp to commemorate the groups 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 groups 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 taken in bringing
about several regulatory changes relating to licensing, import restrictions, organ
transplantation. Adding to the number of esteemed awards and recognitions are the
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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.
10 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.
11 How has the hospital group grown from when it was set up to date?
Starting from a 150-bedded 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 organization 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 programs and research
services and a host of other non-profit projects.
values and vision inculcated led the private healthcare revolution that transformed the
Indian healthcare landscape. Both Apollo and I are honoured with the affection and
respect we have received.
15 What is your perspective towards preventive healthcare?
Each generation presents its unique healthcare challenges. This generation is plagued
with the menace of NCDS. The incidence of diabetes, cancer, hypertension and cardiac
ailments has causing havoc to national health and economic wellbeing. In this situation
the role of preventive healthcare is critical.
We have been pioneers in preventive healthcare in India. It is our mission to
continuously evolve our preventive healthcare offering to make it more comprehensive
and effective. The latest development in this front is our personalised preventive health
check. In a personalised check factors like a persons genetic make-up, lifestyle, and
family medical history are important parameters during the testing and diagnostic stages.
16 How else have you been instrumental in serving the Indian Nation?
In service to the nation, among others I have been the Chairman of the Confederation of
Indian Industrys National Health Council and advisor to its committees on Healthcare,
Health Insurance, Public Health and Pharma.
I took a pivotal role in the genesis of NATHEALTH, the Healthcare Federation of India,
Having envisioned the creation of NATHEALTH as the collective and credible voice to
shape Indian healthcare.
NATHEALTH is today emerging as one of the nation's most powerful and influential
forums in facilitating the shift in mind-set, delivery and policy making to nurture the gift of
good health for all in our country. It embodies the collaborative power of Indian
healthcare stakeholders in their mission to address the urgent priorities and redefine the
healthcare ecosystem of the nation.
I believe health is Indias biggest individual and collective responsibility. It is the duty of
every stakeholder of Indian healthcare to inculcate the tenets of healthy living among
Indians; it is their responsibility to work towards a ecosystem of universal healthcare.
Together we have to kick-start the war on NCDS, we have to build a more robust
healthcare backbone, and have to guide our nation to achieve the tremendous promise
she represents.