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| Sunday, 5 May 2002 |
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Rs. 3 bln Apollo Hospital opens in Colombo by SUREKHA GALAGODA The state-of-the-Art 500-bed Apollo Hospital, equipped with all facilities including a heli pad opened its doors at Naranenpita, Colombo last week. The 26th hospital of the Apollo Group, it is the first to be established outside India offering all Apollo facilities. The hospital was established with an investment of about three billion rupees to bring world class facilities to Sri Lankans as well as the island's neighbours. Chairman of the Group Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, addressing the media conference, said that for the past three decades, Sri Lankans who needed top medical attention had to fly to India and other countries. Many Sri Lankans are treated at the Apollo Hospital in India. The patronage of many Sri Lankans was a reason for the group decision to bring its first fully fledged medical care to Sri Lanka. The Colombo hospital will have the most up-to-date equipment and medical technology in the hospital chain, added Dr Reddy. Professionally, the Colombo hospital will be on par with all other hospitals belonging to the group and will provide the same top medical care of an international standard, he said. Dr. Reddy said that the hospital's services would be cost effective. "It is the most modern hospital in the group and we are concentrating on professionalism in all aspects. We have brought world class treatment at affordable prices." In addition to providing healthcare, the hospital will conduct several programs on preventing illnesses and health check-up programs, said Dr Reddy. He was of the view that establishing the hospital will save a lot of foreign currency that flows out of the country for medical care. Dr Reddy also hoped that Sri Lanka will be a regional healthcare centre for countries such as Mauritius, Maldives and India. Dr Reddy said that everybody should be armed with a health insurance policy because illness is never anticipated. "Therefore, health insurance should be privatised," he added. He said that though nursing is an honourable profession, there is a tremendous shortage of persons entering the profession, which has openings in almost every country. Established in India in 1983, the Apollo Hospitals Group has treated over 7.5 million patients to date. The Group which already has 4,000 beds, plans to add 3,000 more within the next three years. The Group has also successfully performed more than a million surgeries of all types and scales. |
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