Apollo Hospitals plans facility in Africa

The Apollo group is planning to build a hospital in Africa in the next two years. Talks are also on with Tanzania, Uganda, Malta and Libya, said an official of the group.

The Nigerian government has already approached the group to modernise the country's healthcare infrastructure. The group did not give details of investment or the size of the facility saying things were at a preliminary stage.

The group is already involved in the Pan-Africa Telemedicine Programme covering 52 countries and is looking at expanding operations in the continent.

Meanwhile, it has plans to come up with 20 specialised Knee Clinics in 12 locations in India and five in overseas locations such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Yemen and Kuwait, in the next couple of weeks. It inaugurated its fifth clinic in the country today in Ahmedabad.

Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Prathap C Reddy said, "The Knee Clinic will provide a 360-degree approach to patients, right from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation.

"The clinic will function on a protocol-driven approach, ensuring prevention and early diagnosis, followed by effective treatment through a complete disease management programme.

"Last year, there were 37,000 knee surgeries in the country. According to a World Health Organisation report, in 2020, India will have eight million people suffering from knee-related problems."