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By Channa Kasturisinghe

The Apollo Hospitals Group, one of the largest healthcare chains in Asia is planning to develop health tourism in Sri Lanka in a bid to help the country to become the major tourism hub in Asia.

The Apollo Hospitals Group which set up a 500-bed super speciality state-of-the-art healthcare facility at Narahenpita recently is aiming to make it a comprehensive healthcare centre in the region which would cater to the health needs of neighbouring countries, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group told the Daily News in an interview.

Dr. Reddy said that he introduced the health tourism concept in Calcutta successfully and expressed the hope that it would become more successful in Sri Lanka as the country is a far superior tourist destination and it has a well developed tourism infrastructure.

"Apollo Hospital Colombo is the latest jewel in the crown and it is a landmark in our constant endeavour to set new standards in healthcare delivery systems with the best available medical technology, human resources and healthcare delivery practices. It will not only cater to the health needs of the country but will also become one of the major foreign exchange earners. By introducing the concept of health tourism in Sri Lanka the country will be able to multiply its tourist arrivals and income from the tourism industry," Dr. Reddy said.

Mandatory health insurance

The Apollo Hospitals Group is the first private company to administer health insurance in India. Dr. Reddy said that it is essential that health insurance is made mandatory in Sri Lanka in order to make the maximum use of modern technology for the benefit of the people in the country.

"Any country should have a good healthcare network with good hospitals and doctors. Health awareness among the public is another main requirement. However, it is not possible for everybody to have access to the best available medical technology. Obtaining the services of modern medical technology and experienced medical professionals cost a lot of money and the ordinary person cannot afford it.

Therefore the best solution is to make heath insurance compulsory for every citizen as in the case of Korea. Sri Lanka has a better primary health care service than India. If we could introduce health insurance in India there is no reason why it cannot be done in this country. And it would also relieve the Government of the burden of having to provide free medical facilities to every citizen," Dr. Reddy said.

He said that Sri Lanka could make use of its human resources by training nurses to work overseas. "The country needs more well trained nurses and the Government should look for means of providing training to as many youth in the country. However, the Apollo Group is planning to train its own nurses by setting up a nursing school here. Initially we will train 100 nurses. They will have to work with us for two years and after that working experience they can even go abroad for service," Dr. Reddy said. He said that Apollo Hospitals introduced the concept of lifestyle management, which was a shift in focus from the curative to the preventive aspect of healthcare.

"It is a means of reducing healthcare costs through early diagnosis and treatment.

We have designed and introduced Health Checks for various user groups with a focus on identifying high-risk groups and tackling the different lifestyle factors that contribute to illness. For a majority of people, health screening provides the reassurance of a thorough, professional medical check up. If a potential problem is detected, one will have the opportunity to take effective action straightaway, with the full guidance and support of our experienced medical professionals, Dr. Reddy said.

He said Apollo which built the first corporate hospital in India in 1983 has so far treated 7.5 million patients. "In all our hospitals there are 4,000 beds today and we are planning to add 3,000 more beds in the next three years. We are in the process of building our next state-of-the-art hospital complex in Dubai," Dr. Reddy said.

The Apollo Colombo recently issued a Rs. 308 million IPO which was oversubscribed by the public.

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