Access to quality and affordable healthcare in India was a dream for many but with the initiative taken by Apollo Hospitals to reach the last man standing, this dream is now a reality
Health is wealth — this popular proverb has stood the test of time and could not be agreed upon more unanimously as now. With the population increasing at an exponential rate, the resources to provide healthcare to all are strained more than ever. In such a case, the government and the private sector have come together to pool in their resources to offer world-class healthcare facilities to every citizen of the country.
Standing out and making its mark is Apollo Hospitals. The brain child of Dr Prathap C Reddy, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology for over 30 years now.
To recognise the work done by Dr Reddy and acknowledge his efforts in bringing world-class healthcare within the economic and geographic reach of millions, the lions Club International Foundation conferred him with the lions Humanitarian Award at a recent ceremony in Delhi. The honour was conferred by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey. The occasion also saw the launch of the lions Apollo Healthcare Partnership Programme (lAHPP), a coordinated health care programme for the under-privileged, to be run by the lions Club International Foundation in collaboration with Apollo.
Dr Reddy is the fifth Indian and the second medical doctor to be conferred with this honour. The lions Humanitarian Award is the highest honour of the lions Club International Foundation given to an individual or an organisation with exemplary humanitarian efforts. Reddy is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan conferred by the Government of India.
Under his guidance, Apollo harnessed technology and insurance to take healthcare to the masses. The pioneering success of telemedicine and innovative insurance in Aragonda, the world’s first V-SAT-enabled remote village in Andhra Pradesh, validated the concept of “healthcare for all.”
The ground-breaking Apollo Reach Hospitals model has enabled high quality healthcare to reach semi-urban and rural areas in the very heart of India. He has also promoted preventive healthcare by way of conducting over 15 million annual health check-ups. The Billion Hearts Beating Foundation launched by him deploys innovative media to encourage Indians stay heart-healthy.
Acknowledging the award, Dr Reddy said, “It is an honour to receive this award in recognition of my efforts to make quality healthcare accessible for all Indians. It is my vision that India should become the global healthcare destination, recognised for its contribution to heal the world. The work done by Apollo and other great health institutions have made Indian healthcare a force to reckon with. While new challenges like those from non-communicable diseases continue to present risks, we must all unite to create a health system that stands as a beacon of excellence for the world. I thank lions Clubs International for this award and hope that this recognition will inspire others to serve and carry on humanitarian work, just as it has inspired me.”
This award includes a grant of up to $250,000 for continuing humanitarian activities to the award winner’s charitable organisation.