Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghata, Bangalore

Founded in 2006, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore has since then always been in the news. Run by the Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, it treats 350-375 out-patients per day with bed strength of 250 and continues its leadership position in the healthcare stream.

Achievements in the Last Year

Apollo Hospitals has recognised the potential health benefits of bloodless approach and has begun its own bloodless surgery programme. Minimal access cardiac surgery is one of their significant achievements. One of the most noteworthy achievement is reducing medication errors phenomenally by 400 per cent. "As part of JCI accreditation process, the Hospital is due for inspection in July 2008. The medical audit has revealed decrease in medical error by 400 per cent over a four month period," beams Dr Umapathy Panayala, Chief Operating Officer and acting CEO of Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore. The Hospital has also successfully eliminated patient falls/ patient ulcers. "The patient fall is nil over a period of four months which is as per international standards," informs Dr Panayala.

As part of the hub and spoke expansion and to leverage the brand position, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore has envisaged tie-ups and opening up five emergency centers within the city of Bangalore. The Group also launched air-ambulance services across the country.

CSR

"We are opening up five emergency centres within the city of Bangalore" - Dr Umapathy Panayala Chief Operating Officer and acting CEO Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore

The Hospital has launched one of its kind poison centers in the emergency room that carries all antidotes including rare industrial poison such as cyanide. As part of its CSR activity these antidotes are made freely available to government, public and private sector hospitals within Karnataka and across Apollo Hospitals nationally. They have also established an NGO called Society to Aid Hearing Impaired (SAHI) to help facilitate deafness rehabilitation.

Expansion Plans

The Karnataka State Expansion programme for Apollo Hospitals group includes expansion of existing hospital to 450 beds from 250 beds. The Group plans to invest in two major hospitals in the north and west of Bangalore. Another expansion programme is Apollo Reach Hospital, which will include a set of five to six hospitals in tier I and tier II cities which include Dellari, Hubli, Gharwad and Belgaum. The Group plans to invest in two major hospitals in the north and west of Bangalore. "We have already started a process of setting up six hospitals in the terrestrial cities of Karnataka and establish four more clinics apart from the six that already exist and five emergency centers within Bangalore in the next one year," says Dr Panayala.

Challenges

According to Dr Panalaya, affordability of other hospitals to buy technology, availability of trained doctors, single speciality hospital cannibalising on tertiary hospital, establishing brand pull within existing players like Manipal, Wockhardt are some of the major challenges faced by Apollo Hospitals currently.