Online Medicine

HYDERABAD: The Apollo Group of Hospitals (AGH) on Monday launched Apollo telemedicine services at the Apollo Medical Centres (AMC) Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

"This telemedicine centre at AMC Muscat through the Apollo telemedcine network links the people of Oman with the world renowned doctors across the AGH," Under Secretary, Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman Dr Ahmed Bin Abdul Quadir Ghassani said while inaugurating the service.

Indian Ambassador to Oman Anil Wadhwa and Apollo Health City CEO Dr K Hari Prasad were also present on the occasion, an Apollo release said here today.

Apollo telemedicine network provides ready access to specialists and super-specialists in India for consultation and for second opinion services.

Apart from video consultation, specialists in India can review the investigations of patients in Oman (including laboratory tests, x-ray, sonogram, CT scan, MRI) and give a comprehensive opinion to the patients.

This modality can also be used for taking second opinion from experienced Apollo doctors in complex clinical situations, the release added.

LUCKNOW: In a bid to promote cultivation of medicinal plants, two aroma bio-villages' would be set up at Raebareli and Sultanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal told newspersons here on Saturday.

The bio-villages, to be developed on 20 hectares of land by Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), would be the first of its kind in the country, he said.

Sibal said that the two bio-villages were being set up as a pilot project and later the project would be implemented throughout the country.

The farmers will adopt CIMAP technology using multi cropping method', he said adding that waste lands would be used for the purpose of growing the aromatic plants.

As many as 60 farmers will be included in the pilot project to start with', he said adding that many aromatic plants did not require much agri inputs and could grow in natural environment.

The minister said that emphasis would be given on growing oil bearing grasses like lemon grasses and palmarosa.

In a bid to ensure marketing, they would be linked with the industries, Sibal said.

The farmers would benefit as their income would increase by 40 to 50 per cent, he added.

CHENNAI: Apollo Hospitals on Saturday said it has chalked out a Rs 710-crore expansion plan to set up hospitals in Mumbai, besides a full-fledged orthopaedic hospital in Chennai soon.

"We have tied-up with Western Hospitals in Mumbai and will set up Centres of Excellence at various places. Each hospital will have 250-300 beds each," Apollo Hospitals Managing Director Preetha Reddy told reporters here.

She said about Rs 600 crore has been allocated for the expansion in Mumbai and the process of finalising and acquiring land in Navi Mumbai, Thane, South Mumbai and Nasik has started.

The orthopaedic hospital in North Chennai would have 200 beds at an investment of about Rs 110 crore, Reddy said.

The consultancy division of Apollo would soon foray into Khazakhstan and Turkey, with details of the tie-up for the latter almost finalised, Reddy said.

She said the company would soon start work on construction of their hospitals in Ahmedabad, Vishakapatnam and Bhubaneshwar.

"We expect our turnover to reach Rs 1,200 by the end of this year. We want to touch the 10,000-bed mark by 2010. Currently, we have about 8,000 beds, both through tie-ups and our own," the MD said.

The plans also comprise schools and colleges of nursing coming up at Madurai and Chennai by the end of the year, she said.

NEW DELHI: Medicities are set to get a shot in the arm with Fortis Healthcare planning to float a new company which will focus on medical education in its upcoming 10 medicities spread across the country. The new company plans to invest around Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in these medicities.

“Medical education requires separate regulations and therefore there will be a separate new company of the group which will manage the medicities. Each of these medicities will require an investment of around Rs 500-600 crore,“ Fortis Healthcare MD Shivinder Singh told ET.

A blueprint of the proposed company is being prepared and therefore, details have not been finalised, he added. Fortis Healthcare plans to set up 10 medicities over the next 10 years. The company is setting up a medicity in Gurgaon and has also announced that it will set up another 52-acre medicity in Ansal’s upcoming township in Lucknow.

The company is also in talks with several state governments to set up medicities. The final structure of the medicities has also not been finalised as it is awaiting clear guidelines from the Medical Council of India. Sources say that in addition to regulatory adherence, a separate company which focuses on medical education will be more attractive to niche group of long-term investors who would like to invest in medical education.

Fortis Healthcare is aggressively pursuing its growth plan through both organic and inorganic routes. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding to set up around 30 hospitals in DLF’s townships across the country. In addition, the company is also evaluating various proposals from hospitals across the country for management control or acquisition.

During the financial year, the company plans to ramp up some of its existing hospitals also. “Fortis Healthcare will invest around Rs100-Rs150 crore, excluding acquisitions, during the financial year in our new hospitals and also revamping some of the existing hospitals,“ he added.

Fortis Group, which has a laboratory and pharmacy retail chain, does not have immediate plans to foray into the clinics division. Fortis’ expansion plans come even as it says a breakeven is not expected this fiscal. The company registered a loss of Rs 24 crore for the quarter ended June 2007 but operating margin improved to 12%, at the end of the quarter, from 10% in the corresponding quarter last year.

AHMEDABAD: The Bangalore-based Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) has announced its foray into healthcare retail with the launch of first of its planned 50 `Health and Wellness' centres here, which the group plans to take across the country over the next three years.

"Our centres which will operate under the brand name Manipal Cure and Care (MCC) and are a combination of both retail and heath care services," said Ranjan Pai, CEO, MEMG International India.

"It will be the first in the country to provide qualitative monitoring of healthcare, driven by well-trained doctors and paramedical staff," he said.

"In the retail section, we offer a mix of world class products in preventive, wellness and beauty care," Pai said, adding that they had tied up with leading brands like Bausch and Lomb, Colgate, Johnson and Johnson and others.

"In this fiscal, we are planning to set up about 10 such centres at a total investment of Rs 55 crores," Pai said, adding that each centre, including the one launched today at Ahmedabad, would cost about Rs 5 crores.

"The next centre will be launched in Bangalore in Septemeber and then we will open our centres in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and NCR (National Capital Region)", he added.

"In the next three years we will be opening a total of 50 such centres across India with an investment of Rs 275 crores," Pai said.

"A large part of our customers would be from the niche segment", the official remarked, adding these centres are ideal for a quick health check-up, counselling or beauty care, he added.