Touching Lives

Touching Lives TOUCHING LIVES Apollo emerged in the early eighties, in response to an overwhelming need for an advanced healthcare facility in India. This need became clear to me when I lost a young man who could not afford to go abroad for cardiac surgery. As a sequel, a healthcare structure to meet the specific needs of India, was created over two decades ago. Today, we are proud that Apollo is in the forefront of every medical discipline, bringing standards comparable to the best hospitals in the world. Since inception, Apollo has emerged a leader and continues undeterred in its mission to provide quality healthcare to all cross-sections of society. Sensitive to the needs of society, it is our endeavor to excel in all facets of care: from customer care to adoption of new technologies; from training of medical professionals to sensitivity to social issues of the cultures from which our patients and their families come. Ours is not just a Hospital Group - with interest in every aspect of the healthcare spectrum, Apollo moves toward the vision of a holistic, integrated healthcare management system. This, we aim to achieve through a three-pronged strategy: creating Clinical Quality & Service Quality Excellence to ensure overall operational excellence; building clinical Centers of Excellence using international talent; developing a Global Brand with a multicommunity patient base. Our efforts are focused on institutionalizing systems which will enable high quality patient care, staff empowerment, accountability and exchange of best practices. The gap in technology between the West and the developing countries has narrowed considerably in the last few decades. That we have been able to bring to India the best available in the developed countries has also been facilitated by availability of better communication, be it via internet, telemedicine or e-journals. The importance of sharing clinical and laboratory experience with colleagues within and outside the Apollo Group cannot be overemphasized. The ability to acquire and adapt newer technology and treatment protocols is essential for raising the healthcare delivery system. And, this is best achieved by sharing information through publications. The large number of patients treated by experienced, specialist consultants, make the Apollo Hospitals Group highly suitable for ethical medical research. The launch of Apollo Medicine, a quarterly journal, is yet another step in this direction. This will not only encourage research, but also enhance best medical practices across the Group. Any center is known by the quality of its research, and Apollo Medicine would place us in the league of leading medical institutions in the world. It is all about inculcating a zeal for excellence, a quest for achieving higher standards and a neverending zest for all-round growth.

DR PRATHAP C REDDY

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Apollo Medicine, Vol.1, September 2004