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| Sunday, 5 May 2002 |
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Private Nursing School need of the hour by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE The woefully inadequate numbers of trained nurses have hampered the expansion of the private health care sector in Sri Lanka said the Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman, D. Prathap C. Reddy addressing a media briefing recently in Colombo in connection with the commissioning of Apollo Hospital this May. Dr. Reddy stressed the importance of setting up a private nursing school to augment the acute shortage of nurses in Sri Lankan private hospitals. He said Nursing was an honourable profession and more persons would be able to find employment in this sector both here and abroad. A spokesmen for the health department when contacted by the Sunday Observer said there was a shortage of nurses even in the state sector. Dr. Reddy said the reason for setting up of an Apollo Hospital in Colombo was due to the fact that many Sri Lankans go to the Apollo Hospital in India for treatment. Around 70-80 patients come to Apollo, India for treatment at any given time, he said. The Apollo Hospital in Sri Lanka, is a Rs. 3 billion venture owned by the Apollo Group of Hospitals in India. It is the 26th Apollo Group of Hospitals with 500 beds and 50 specialists under one roof. The hospital located at Narahenpita Colombo 5, is equipped with a heli-pad to bring emergency patients and will be operational on May 29. The Apollo Group was set up in India in 1983 and has treated over 7.5 million patients. The group already has 4000 beds and plans to add 3000 more in the next three years. More than a million surgeries of all types have been performed at the Apollo group. With the establishment of Apollo Hospitals in India, patients seeking specialised treatment abroad has been done away with. Apollo group has a team of experienced medical professionals and consultants with dedicated nurses and other technicians to handle various jobs. The venture has been made possible due to the support it had received from the Sri Lankan government. Dr. Reddy said the costs incurred by patients at Apollo would be a bit higher than other hospitals due to investments made in modern technology. Unfortunately there was no health insurance scheme to provide health care to every citizen in Sri Lanka like in western countries. The Apollo Hospital, Colombo will be on par with other Apollo Hospitals in the region and valuable foreign exchange can be saved as patients need not go abroad. The hospital will be beneficial to those seeking treatment in South Asian countries like Indonesia, he said. Apollo was the brain child of Dr. Prathap C Reddy. The idea dawned upon him when he lost a patient in India who could not make it to Texas for open heart surgery. This was the turning point in the Indian health care industry. He then decided to set up a hospital in Chennai in 1983 with his vast expertise gathered in the USA. He revolutionised the Indian healthcare industry which was entrenched in bureaucracy by setting international standards. He gave up his lucrative practice in USA and returned to India in the seventies. His vision was to provide international health care to Indians at an affordable price. His pioneering efforts was recognised by the Indian government that paved the way for financial institutions to provide funding for hospitals. Dr. Reddy even campaigned relentlessly for privatization of health care in India and was instrumental in amending legislation for cadaver transplant in India. Apollo Hospital Group has over 22 centres in major cities in the world with turnover of over US $ 100 million. His latest initiative is to integrate healthcare into a digital system. Telemedicine technology has been successfully introduced by Dr. Reddy in India. The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh has awarded him with a Fellowship in appreciation of his achievements in the field of medicine. The government of India has conferred Dr. Reddy with the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 1991 for his role in transforming the Indian Health Care industry. Dr.Reddy was invited by the Indian government to become a member of the working group on health financing and management constituted by the steering committee for the 8th five year plan in the planning commission. The Haveard Business School published a case study on the achievement of Apollo Hospitals in the year 1996. The late Mother Teresa awarded Dr. Reddy the citizen of the year award for 1993-94. |
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