Resorbable screws used for the first time in India at Apollo Hospitals Chennai to correct congenital spine problem of a six-year-old child from Tanzania Six-year-old Maureen Richard Shirima will now be able to run and jump, like other students in her class in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Senior Consultant and Spine Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Chennai, Dr. Sajan K. Hegde said that a bone graft was taken from the child and used to set the fractured bone and resorbable screws helped to keep the bones in place. He said resorbable screws were in use for sometime now across the world but this was the first time it was being used in India to correct such rare problems of the lower spine. Six-year-old Maureen Richard Shirima will now be able to run and jump, like other students in her class in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Clutching a yellow teddy bear, she recalled “Sometimes when I came back to class [after playing] I would be sick.” It would hurt “when I jump, when I run.” Until a month ago the child suffered excruciating back pain, caused by a congenital anomaly of the lower spine and the spinal cord. Maureen’s problem was that she had a low-lying spinal cord which was tethered to a benign tumour. A lower vertebra had broken causing back ache. Apollo Hospital senior consultant and spine surgeon Sajan K. Hegde said here on Tuesday that a bone graft was taken from the child and used to set the fractured bone and resorbable screws helped to keep the bones in place. He said resorbable screws were in use for sometime now across the world but this was the first time it was being used in India to correct such rare problems of the lower spine. Normally, metal implants and screws are used to set bones and another surgery is required to remove them once the bones set. In patients where the implants were not removed, the possibility of going for an MRI scan, if needed, was ruled out. Dr. Hegde said resorbable screws, now widely used for setting bones in other parts of the body, was chosen considering the patient’s age. The child was a beneficiary of collaboration between the Tanzanian Health Ministry and hospitals in India. The cost of her surgery was borne by the Tanzanian government, said a representative of the Tanzanian High Commission.  

The Government of India releases a commemorative stamp felicitating Apollo Hospitals’ pioneering spirit ! The Government of India honors Apollo Hospitals with the Apollo Commemorative Stamp. This honor is a felicitation of our pioneering spirit, our commitment to healthcare and service to the Nation. It is said that recognition is the greatest motivator; this recognition is the encouragement we needed as we embark on our ambitious vision of touching a billion lives ! The commemorative stamp was released with grandeur on the 02nd November, 2009 by Thiru. A Raja, Hon’ble Union Minister of Communications & IT, Govt. of India and Thiru. M. K. Stalin, Hon’ble Dy. Chief Minister, Govt. of Tamilnadu graced the function as the Chief Guest.  

The Week-IMRB exclusive survey 2009, on India’s top hospitals has rated Apollo Hospitals Chennai as the Overall Best Hospital among the Private Sector hospitals in the country. Apollo Hospitals Chennai has also been ranked the First among the Private Sector hospitals in the country in Orthopedics and Hip Replacement. Apollo Hospitals at Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata have also been ranked Best Hospital in their respective Cities ! The Week-IMRB exclusive survey 2009, on India’s top hospitals has rated Apollo Hospitals Chennai as the Overall Best Hospital among the Private Sector hospitals in the country. Apollo Hospitals Chennai has also been ranked the First among the Private Sector hospitals in the country in Orthopedics and Hip Replacement. Apollo Hospitals at Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata have also been ranked Best Hospital in their respective Cities !  

“Apollo Knee Clinic” will be the first of it’s kind program in this part of the world. Starting from prevention through early diagnosis and intervention, surgical intervention to rehabilitation, Apollo Knee Clinic offers a complete program. Research, inputs from experts in orthopedics and rehab medicine and experience of the entire team at Apollo Hospitals has provided the material required for this program. Where ever possible the protocols and guidelines have been benchmarked with global institutions to ensure that the product is comparable to the best institutions in the world.   Disease profile is undergoing an amazing transformation and infectious diseases are fast giving way to life style diseases. Hypertension, Diabetes, Obesity and Stress are major predisposing factors for disease today and the disease burden due to coronary artery disease, stroke, cancer and degenerative diseases is increasing. In addition to the predisposing factors mentioned above factors such as aspiration for a longer and more active life, increasing life expectancy and injuries are leading to an increased incidence of hospital visits due to knee pain. Over 4 million people above 60 years and over 6 million people across all age groups need help for knee disorders. Knee pain is one of the commonest problems that many people face in their day to day life and most common cause of chronic knee pain are Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and injury. While a variety of options are available today both in traditional and alternative medicine for management of knee pain, most of these options are incomplete and sub-optimal. Patients move from hospital to hospital and from doctor to doctor in search of pain relief often without desired results. The need for a comprehensive KNEE PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER was obvious and articulated by many patients. While the need is clearly established and the potential clearly described there is no solution leveraging this need and potential. Therefore Apollo Hospitals has decided to create a comprehensive solution for knee pain integrating the different elements of managing a knee disorder. APOLLO KNEE CLINIC “Apollo Knee Clinic” will be the first of it’s kind program in this part of the world. Starting from prevention through early diagnosis and intervention, surgical intervention to rehabilitation, Apollo Knee Clinic offers a complete program. Research, inputs from experts in orthopedics and rehab medicine and experience of the entire team at Apollo Hospitals has provided the material required for this program. Where ever possible the protocols and guidelines have been benchmarked with global institutions to ensure that the product is comparable to the best institutions in the world. Components Prevention & Early Diagnosis : Public education & Basic knee check Accurate Diagnosis : Advanced knee check, Key hole procedures Preventing disease progression : Disease Management Program Efficient Treatment : Integrated proactive physiotherapy & exercise, Arthroscopic procedure, Knee replacement surgery Rehabilitation Research : Use of regenerative techniques to manage knee pain and arthritis using stem cells Highlights A one-stop centre catering to the end-to-end needs of a patient with knee pain Focus on patient empowerment Offer an integrated disease management program Includes tools to ensure compliance to the program Provides for global benchmarking Creates a system that monitors, analyzes and continuously upgrades the different components of the program Ensure consistency of services irrespective of the location, the doctor or the time at all touch points in the program Speaking on the occasion, Dr Reddy said, “Apollo will strive to deliver the best in patient care and the launch of ‘Knee Clinic’ is another milestone in our journey towards optimum patient care. It will provide a 360 degree approach to our patients, right from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation.”” The units now have a dedicated operation theatre and physiotherapy department for post operative rehabilitation and manned by a dedicated team of professionals exclusively trained to deal with such patients. According to Ms. Sanghita Reddy Executive Director Apollo Hospitals “Apollo Knee Clinics will be launched in 20 hospitals across 12 locations in the next couple of weeks. The first set of six clinics (Apollo Hospitals – Jubilee Hills, Hyderguda, Secunderabad, Kanchanbagh in Hyderabad and Karimnagar and Kakinada) are operational from today”” She added that these clinics will function between 5 and 8pm on all working days in all the locations. Sir Richard Hadlee the cricketing legend was present at the launch and he said that these clinics go a long way in helping people rediscover pain free movement. He said “I have had the opportunity to have a knee check at the Apollo Knee Clinic and the experience has been incredible”.  

Ushering in another new era in healthcare, the Apollo Hospitals Group has introduced the most advanced CyberKnife® Robotic Radio Surgery System in Asia Pacific. The world’s first and only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. An innovation in the treatment of cancer, a breakthrough technology, a non-invasive alternative to surgery, the CyberKnife® brings an unparalleled approach to treating inoperable tumors. Patients who previously had no options or only high-risk options for treatment now have a safer alternative.  

The first Swine Flu Health Call Centre by Apollo Hospitals for India, inaugurated in Madurai by Honorable Union Minister Mr.M K Azhagiri has received an overwhelming response. This swine flu call center provides information to public about the lethal viral infection. The call center also provides answers to the queries of the people regarding the lethal condition. Over 800 calls have been received till date from several districts including Chennai. The Honorable Minister appreciated the initiative and commented that it satisfied a deep felt need of the community. This is totally a free service manned by qualified health care professionals and the team consists of 12 trained Medical, Paramedical, Nursing & Support Service staff and it functions 24×7. For countries like India where there is a huge rural-urban healthcare divide exists, telehealth platforms such as tele-triage, telemedicine plays a pivotal role in complementing the conventional healthcare delivery mechanism, as the technology evolves and the acceptance of such platforms by masses increases – as evidenced in some of the states in south. Health Net Global with expertise in technology in collaboration with Clinical Solutions, UK together has brought this ground breaking healthcare service quickly to the citizens of Tamilnadu. Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Madurai brings to the table, the expertise of Asia’s largest health care provider in executing the initiative seamlessly. After the launch the public is more aware of the symptoms of swine flu and also feel comfortable to enquire without any hesitation. The service provided in a multilingual environment including the local language is an advantage to the society. It is available to citizens using a browser based application over the internet or touch tone telephony so as to cater the maximum number of people through a multi channel approach.  

Apollo Hyderabad & Apollo Delhi win FICCI Healthcare awards ! Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad and Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Delhi win the FICCI Healthcare awards for Excellence in Patient Care and Excellence in Healthcare Delivery. Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad also bags the FICCI Healthcare award for Excellence in HR Practices. The FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards, were the first of its kind to recognize and honor the good and proactive work carried out by the healthcare providers and State Governments and to improve healthcare services for masses by overcoming the numerous challenges faced by the Indian healthcare industry. Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad and Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Delhi win the FICCI Healthcare awards for Excellence in Patient Care and Excellence in Healthcare Delivery. Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad also bags the FICCI Healthcare award for Excellence in HR Practices. Trophies and Certificates were handed over to the winners by Mr. Dinesh Trivedi , Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and Ms. Shabana Azmi, Actor and Social Activist, in New Delhi. Mr K K Modi, Past President, FICCI, in his address, pointed out that the FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards, were the first of its kind to recognize and honor the good and proactive work carried out by State Governments and the healthcare providers to improve healthcare services for masses by overcoming the numerous challenges faced by the Indian healthcare industry. He said that the awards were to felicitate and commemorate those who have increased the efficiency and improved performance of healthcare sector. “With this motive we approached Quality Council of India, our support Partners and Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd, the official Tabulators. Together, with a core group of advisors, the entire process was designed and operationalised over a period of 6-8 months. The Award categories and their parameters were decided after much deliberation and brain storming amongst the Core group members.” The awards were open to all for profit and non-profit public, private, and government organizations and subunits – including Indian subunits of foreign organizations located in India, as well as Indian healthcare organizations located overseas with certain basic criterion. The award categories include State Government with Excellence in Reforms, Excellence in Community Driven Healthcare Programme, Excellence in H R Practices, Excellence in Patient Care and last but not the least Excellence in Healthcare Delivery. The Award process included four-stage filtering mechanism, namely, scrutinizing the information provided by Hospitals & States by the official tabulator at first stage; short listing the hospitals based on the facts and figures provided by the participants by the Interim Jury; at the final level decision of winner based on the data provided in the questionnaire, support documents justifying the numbers and presentations given by shortlisted organizations and States on their initiatives by the distinguished Jury; and simultaneous validation of documents was carried out by QCI. The distinguished Jury for the awards included chairperson of the Jury, Justice R.C. Lahoti, Former Chief Justice of India, Dr R K Srivastava, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Mr. M Damodaran, Former Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Mr Y K Modi, Chairman and CEO, Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd, Dr B N S Walia, Former Director, PGIMER Chandigrah, Dr Girdhar J Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council Of India, Mr. Kali Prasad, Partner, Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd.  

It gives us the greatest pleasure to say that Apollo Hospitals India has won the Web Marketing Association – USA’s Standard of Excellence WEBAWARD 2009 in 3 categories – Medical, Healthcare and Healthcare Provider, for its website www.apollohospitals.com It gives us the greatest pleasure to say that Apollo Hospitals India has won the Web Marketing Association – USA’s Standard of Excellence WEBAWARD 2009 in 3 categories – Medical, Healthcare and Healthcare Provider, for its website www.apollohospitals.com THE WEB MARKETING ASSOCIATION IS PROUD TO PRESENT THIS 2009 WEBAWARD For Outstanding Achievement in Web Development WINNER NAMEAPOLLO HOSPITALS INDIA WINNING ENTRY-HEALTHCARE   AWARD Health Care Standard of Excellence, Healthcare Provider Standard of Excellence, Medical Standard of Excellence About the award The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 in the USA to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and development of the best websites on the World Wide Web. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks for the best web sites based on the seven criteria of a successful website. The goal of the WebAwards is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective websites on the Internet today. Beyond validation, entrants benefit from a website assessment by a professional judging panel, which provides specific feedback on how each site ranks against standards of excellence. Now in its 13th year, the WebAwards is the premier annual website award competition that names the best Web sites in 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all website development. The WebAward competition’s judges represent the various relevant disciplines and are distinguished experts in their fields. Judges include members of the media, advertising executives, top web site designers, content providers, and webmasters.There are 96 industry categories and each site goes head-to-head with other sites in their categories. Best websites are selected by judges who review the entered websites using the seven criteria below: Design Ease of use Copywriting Interactivity Use of technology Innovation Content For more details, visit www.webaward.org  

Apollo Hospitals’ first Children’s Hospital was formally inaugurated by Oscar award-winner A.R.Rahman on Thursday, the July 29th, 2009, in Chennai. Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr. Prathap C. Reddy unveiled plans for five such stand-alone Children’s hospitals of the group. While one of the five will be located abroad, the four others will be started in the country with a budget of Rs. 35 lakh per hospital. Work has already begun and the details are being worked out and also on the cards is a multi-speciality unit in Mauritius to be inaugurated this year. Speaking at a meeting after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mr. Rahman spoke of the importance of working as a team. “Without a team, a man cannot achieve his vision,” he said after giving away mementoes to those who had helped in setting up the hospital and a group of beneficiaries under Apollo’s Save a Child’ Heart programme. Complimenting Apollo for well-oiled teamwork, he added, “I hope children do not go there, but if they have to, I know they will be well taken care of.” The ACH, an 80-bed hospital spread over nearly 40,000 sq ft, is designed to provide comprehensive care to children and adolescents up to 16 years under one roof. The construction work on the three-storey building began in late January this year and had been completed in record time by April-end. State-of-the-art facilities were available on the premises with over 40 paediatric specialists and superspecialists and 180 nurses on call at the ACH. It will also use the equipment available at Apollo’s main hospital. The pediatric super-speciality services offered at Apollo Children’s Hospital include Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Laproscopic Surgery, Urology, Neurology, Neuro Surgery, Nephrology, Orthopaedics, Gastroenterology and Oncology The other Children’s hospitals would soon come up throughout the country and overseas.  

A 14 years old child with CTGA, VSD, PS undergoes Double switch heart surgery, becoming a rare case to be successfully operated for Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries (CCTGA) with VSD and Pulmonary Stenosis. The cardiac team at Apollo Hospitals, Bilaspur has written a new chapter in the history of Pediatric Heart Surgery in India. A 14-year-old male child from Bilaspur has become a rare case to be successfully operated for Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries (CCTGA) with VSD and Pulmonary Stenosis. This is a very rare cardiac anomaly and is found in less than 1 percent of all babies born with congenital heart disease. The cardiac team at Apollo Hospitals, Bilaspur, led by Dr. Ratan Das, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon successfully completed this eight hour surgery on the child without any complications. The name of the operation is Double Switch Procedure (combined Rastelli’s and Senning’s procedure). This is the first Double Switch procedure performed in entire Eastern India. In India, this rare procedure is performed only at major cardiac centers of Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Master Dipesh Srivas, who is from a very poor family of Bilaspur was born as a blue baby and was having breathing difficulty since birth. The family had no money to take the child to big cities where this type of complex surgery is possible. Last year the Chief Minister of Chattisgarh has started a “”Bal Hriday Suraksha Yojna””, a project by which the Government of Chattisgarh started paying the expense of treating children with congenital heart disease. The diagnosis by the doctors at Apollo Hospitals revealed that the baby was born with Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries with ventricular septal defect and severe Pulmonary Stenosis. In this case the pumping chambers of the heart (ventricles) are reversely positioned so as the main blood vessels arising from the heart (Aorta and Pulmonary artery), along with large hole between the ventricles and a narrowing of the Pulmonary artery. Children born with this kind of defect might also have abnormal electrical conduction system, which means they might be highly susceptible to a complete heart block.  

Paediatric Cardiac Specialists of Apollo Children’s Hospital perform a complicated intracardiac repair of complete A-V canal defect on a Nigerian infant Chennai, July 3, 2009: The Paediatric Cardiac team at the new Apollo Children’s Hospital successfully performed a complicated surgery to treat a condition called complete a-v canal defect in a 4-month old Nigerian baby Speaking at the press briefing alongside the patient, Dr. Neville Solomon, Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon & Dr. Muthukumaran, Paediatric Cardiologist said, “”The Nigerian baby was ailing with a condition called complete a-v canal defect. This consists of two holes in the heart with mitral and tricuspid valves possibly leaky as well. The child also has Down’s syndrome, which makes the surgery even more risky. The child was investigated by 2D echo, 3D echo and catheterization and angiogram. The surgery involved closing of the holes in the heart and repairing the mitral and tricuspid valves.”” The preoperative 3D echo was done by Dr. Muthukumaran, who is among the few cardiologists in the country trained to perform this investigative procedure. This 3D transesophageal echo at Apollo is the first of its type in Tamil Nadu. Dr. Neville Solomon added, “”It is gratifying that the baby was brought in for surgery by the 4th month as usually beyond 6 months, the results are not as good. It is gratifying that the baby is doing well and will be returning home tomorrow. We have been treating numerous international patients at the hospital”” Apollo Children’s Hospital, exclusively for children and adolescents upto the age of 16 years, is a one of its kind comprehensive paediatric hospital in the country. A tertiary care multi-speciality hospital, the Apollo Children’s Hospital will administer health care for children from birth to adolescence under one roof. All of the services will be delivered in a child friendly focused environment. The services are designed to meet the physical, social, emotional and psychological needs of every child with well-trained pediatricians of great clinical experience and knowledge. Addressing the gathered media, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “”This 80- bedded Apollo Children’s Hospital is emblematic of the change we wanted to see in child healthcare, and an extension of our long and successful foray in quality pediatrics. Every little life represents immense potential and the onus is on us to nurture it.”” Situated in the close vicinity of flagship Apollo Hospitals at Greams Road, The Apollo Children’s Hospital is one of the finest in the country. Complete with an NICU, Isolation ward, three operation theatres, sunshine ward, cheerful private rooms and tasteful suites, the new hospital leaves no stone unturned in providing the best pediatric care. Ms. Preetha Reddy added, “”True to the Apollo way, we have not stopped with the best of technology and expertise. A lot of thought has gone into making the process of healing as child-friendly as possible. The ambience, the mood, the culture have all been shaped around the young patient. I hope PAWS, the latest member of the Apollo family, will steal the day. PAWS, our mascot at the Apollo Children’s Hospital, is a teddy bear that will be there to welcome the young patients, and spread the cheer during their stay at the hospital.”” The cardiology team consisting of Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist and the Cardio Thoracic Surgeon are available to tackle highly complicated congenital anomalies and the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit looks after these cases pre and post operatively. The department of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Urology carries out various procedures on children and neonates including laparoscopic surgery. The other super specialties are Pediatric Neurology-Neuro Surgery Nephrology and Gastroenterology, which are well covered by expert consultants for an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. The department of Haemato Oncology gives a new lease of life to the hitherto fatal disease like A-plastic anemia, Leukemia and Storage disorders etc., Bone marrow transplants have been done on many children with excellent results. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with expert neonatologists take care of premature babies with very low birth weight with good out come comparable to international standards. Equipped for every paediatric emergency, Apollo Children’s Hospital is geared to care for acute problems and emergencies promptly and efficiently in the “”golden hours”” for all the emergencies. The emergency and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) will be complementary to each other will sole aim to save the precious lives and is functional 24X7. The transport unit consisting of attained registrar level pediatrician, well-trained nurses and paramedical staff are ready to rush to the site of emergencies to pick up the sick babies at Airport, home or even from any other hospitals. They will assess the sick child, stabilize the child and transport the child to our children’s hospital. The doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are well trained in the pre hospital care of these patients. For the sick newborn state of the art Transport Incubators are available for their safety. The PICU is unique as it is headed by the Senior Consultants well trained in delivery of intensive care. About Apollo Hospitals It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospital in Chennai. An integrated healthcare company, the group has around 10,000 beds across 45 hospitals, over 950 pharmacies and 100 diagnostic clinics, medical business process outsourcing services, health insurance services, and clinical research divisions with a focus on epidemiological studies, stem cell research and genetic research.. The group has 10 nursing & 2 hospital management colleges. There are over 100 telemedicine units across 7 countries. For more information visit: www. apollohospitals.com  

Apollo Hospitals Group consolidates leadership in healthcare with focus on clinical excellence and patient-care . Record income of Rs. 14,580 million in FY08-09; Q4 income at a record Rs.3911 million. Jun 29, 2009 – Through its relentless pursuit of clinical excellence and improving patient-outcomes, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) – Asia’s largest healthcare service provider – recorded a turnover of Rs 3911 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, registering a significant increase of 34 per cent net profit in the fourth quarter. AHEL’s financial results for FY09 have achieved major milestones in the 26 year-old history of Apollo Hospitals’ service for better patient-care: the cumulative income was Rs 14580 million, a 30 per cent increase over last year’s income of Rs 11254 million. The net profit after tax before extra-ordinary items stood at Rs 1221 million, an increase of over 20 per cent recorded over last year’s figures of Rs 1018 million. The hospital division’s turnover grew by 22 per cent, when compared to FY08. “”It is immensely satisfying,”” said Dr Prathap C Reddy, Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, “”that Apollo Hospitals has continued its quest to excel in medical innovation, treatment and research year after year. The results of FY09 are indicative of the collective efforts and endeavour of the Group to provide the highest quality of health care services in India. It is for this reason that Apollo today ranks among the best hospital groups of the world.”” Apollo Hospitals is conscious of its role as a responsible member of India Inc. As the thought leader of the country’s health care sector, Dr. Reddy has been spearheading the development of progressive policy initiatives. CII’s National Healthcare Committee, headed by Dr. Reddy as Chairman has recently presented to the Government of India, a Memorandum titled ‘Imperatives for Healthcare Stimulus to Catalyse India’s Economic Development’ listing out a 10-point Agenda. “”We laud the progressive policies of the Government of India in health care,”” added Dr Prathap Reddy, “”we stand equally committed to further the quality, accessibility and innovation in health care services in line with the nation’s policies and priorities towards ‘health for all’.”” Towards this direction, the group is setting up quality tertiary care facilities in Tier 2 cities and District Headquarters through its “”Apollo Reach Hospitals”” initiative. Through 2008-09 Apollo added another 200 beds to take the total number of beds, under the brand and management of the Apollo Hospitals Group, to 7450 beds while the total number of beds collectively under the ownership of AHEL, and its associates, subsidiaries, joint ventures stood at 4356 beds. Two new hospitals at Karimnagar (in Andhra Pradesh) with 120 beds and Karur (in Tamil Nadu) with 70 beds were commissioned. Overall, the hospital occupancy stood at 76%; the ALOS (average length of stay) was lower at 5.15 days compared to 5.18 days in the previous year. The Apollo Hospitals Group’s Chain of Standalone Pharmacies has gained significant reputation for dispensing quality drugs and other medical consumables. There are now 873 standalone pharmacies operational with the addition of 297 standalone pharmacies during FY09- a growth of 50%, ensuring better and timely services for patients. The network of pharmacies is expected to be on expansion mode for the next year as well. State of the art healthcare technologies for better patient outcomes: Apollo for over 25 years has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting edge research. With a network of over 8000 beds at culturally diverse locations, over 4000 top class clinicians and a total employee strength of 60,000 professionals, Apollo is one of the largest hospital groups in the world and the hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services. Apollo’s model of healthcare delivery is growing in recognition as a healthcare system of the future. The Group has efficiently utilized multiple levers including state-of-the-art technology, clinical excellence and appropriate facility models to provide world-class clinical services at competitive costs. Today, Apollo is a healthcare institution par excellence and is the front runner in healthcare services delivery. Harnessing advances in technology, Apollo Hospitals has been the pioneer in bringing to India, several new breakthrough technologies such as 640 Slice CT Scanner -the first of its kind in India; Asia Pacific’s most advanced CyberKnife, a new ray of hope in cancer care; and the Novalis – the world’s most powerful NS versatile platforms for non-invasive, image-guided radiosurgery. Patients with intracranial, spine, lung and prostate tumors have already benefited from the Apollo CyberKnife treatment. Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospital has been treating patients from across India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. Another pioneering program has been the liver transplant program in India: Apollo Hospitals Chennai has performed the largest number of cadaver liver transplants in the last one year and has changed the scenario of liver transplantation in southern India. The group companies of Apollo Hospitals have also registered sound and praise-worthy performances. Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata has shown a positive Profit After Tax during the year ended 31St March 2009. Apollo Hospitals International Ltd, Ahmedabad and Imperial hospitals and Research Center, Bangalore have shown positive EBIDTA for the year ended 31st March 2009. A major expansion plan with an investment of Rs 150 crores at Apollo Health City, Hyderabad, and Asia’s first operational health city is planned. As part of this expansion, Apollo has acquired Novalis TX ™ Radio surgery. A state-of-the-art Knee Institute, Bariatric Surgery Institute and Institute for Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery are currently in the process of being added to the Health City offerings. The first of its kind in the state of Orissa, a 350-bed multi-speciality tertiary hospital at Bhubaneswar will be commissioned shortly. Soon Apollo Children’s Hospital, Chennai, the group’s first standalone paediatric hospital will be inaugurated. Emblematic of clinical excellence, six hospitals in the group have been accredited by JCI, the gold standard international accreditation. Besides, the Apollo Hospitals Madurai has received the prestigious NABH accreditation. The NABH accreditation focuses on learning, self-development, improved performance and reducing risk. Its assessment goes beyond compliance and calls for excellence on continued basis. Apollo Hospitals has entered into a partnership with Quintiles Transnational Corp. to open a Phase I clinical trial unit in Hyderabad. The unit will allow customers additional options to complete integrated Phase I programs across multiple geographies at this pivotal stage in medical research. Apollo DKV Insurance is yet another of the group’s landmark initiative designed to provide greater access to quality healthcare to a greater number of people.