Doctors and hospitals should continuously upgrade themselves and their facilities to ensure patronage. It is not easy to maintain oneself for 38 years in the field as the Apollo Group of hospitals has done, without keeping abreast of developments in the field, said TN Medical Minister Ma. Subramanian.
The Minister, on Friday, launched the hospital’s robotic oncology programme and commissioned the fourth generation Da Vinci surgical system Xi at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre and said: “Apollo brought new developments and inventions in the world and built its infrastructure. It is one of its kind hospital in south and central Asia. At one time people came for treatment from north and northeastern states. But now patients come from countries such as Singapore and Dubai as well.”
Hospital founder and chairman Prathap C. Reddy said in the 1980s, the World Economic Forum had warned that non-communicable diseases would be the biggest burdens countries would face. India too had contributed to this burden with growing number of people suffering heart diseases, stroke and cancers. The hospital had kept pace with this by bringing into the country the best equipment to treat the diseases. Apollo Group of hospitals had brought to the country the first CT Scan, MRI and PET scan, he said.
When Apollo Proton Cancer Centre was launched two years ago, 41 of the first 100 patients were from abroad, indicating that the city had become a hub for medical tourism. He said the hospital would train surgeons in the use of robots. The hospital had 10 robots currently he added. Robotic surgeries benefited the patients, he said.
