At 93, Apollo founder still has big dreams for Indian healthcare

CHENNAI: Apollo Hospitals president Dr Prathap C Reddy, who turns 93 connected Thursday, cuts a commanding fig — the gangly cardiologist who walked distant from a thriving US signifier aft his father’s plea to “help radical successful India.

” A 1979 calamity sealed it: a 35-year-old diligent died, attraction overseas unaffordable. Seeing the widow and children, helium asked, “If Indian doctors prevention lives successful the US, wherefore not present astatine home?”Dr Reddy, who turns 93 Thursday, lobbied PM Indira Gandhi to guarantee import duties connected instrumentality fell from 300% to zero. Banks funded the build; cement and alloy came cheap, and helium built Apollo Chennai, India’s archetypal multispecialty hospital, successful 1983 with a committedness to connection attraction to 25% of patients free.Dr Reddy’s zeal reshaped much than medicine. Hours earlier Apollo’s launch, helium axed a glaring “Casualty” sign: “Why would trauma patients privation to beryllium wheeled into ‘casualties’ rooms? My unit thought radical wouldn’t recognise immoderate different word. But I insisted connected changing it to ‘Emergency’. It’s present modular nationwide,” helium said.He recalled however 4 decades on, his 4Cs mantra — objective excellence, compassionate care, cost-effectiveness, cutting-edge exertion — powers a 10,000-bed empire rivalling reputable planetary hospitals successful cardiac procedures, organ transplants, and outcomes astatine a fraction of developed nations’ costs.

While Southeast Asia’s archetypal proton therapy centre hums successful Chennai; Mumbai and Delhi volition get next-gen upgrades, helium said.His imagination present is to enactment India connected the planetary healthcare map. If India allows visa-on-arrival astatine slightest for affable nations, it volition treble diligent inflows overnight crossed 400 hospitals, including Apollo, spurring jobs and retaining skilled resources, including doctors and nurses. Simultaneously, India indispensable guarantee its radical are healthy.

Periodic wellness checks and wellness hazard valuation utilizing AI models and familial tests indispensable beryllium encouraged.

“People indispensable not presume they are healthy; they indispensable beryllium told they are healthy,” helium said.He agrees this volition not beryllium casual without reforms successful wellness insurance. Dr Reddy practises what helium preaches. “Like immoderate different Indian, I person each the wellness risks – I person been diabetic for astir 50 years, I person hypertension, precocious cholesterin and I was overweight,” helium said.

Fifteen years ago, helium suffered a bosom attack. “But preventive wellness checks, aboriginal diagnosis and treatment, fare and regular exercises person kept maine going. I inactive bash 20 minutes’ locomotion each time with astatine slightest 7 minutes of brisk walking. I person mislaid astatine slightest 15 kg from astir 105 kg. My humor unit and sweetener levels are nether control. Indians person the familial predisposition for immoderate non-communicable diseases, but they tin each beryllium brought nether power with manner and medications,” helium said.