Dear Members,
The word Agility represents the power of moving quickly. It denotes nimbleness,
briskness; activity; and quickness of motion. At Apollo it also means the power of
innovation — The ability to transform a noun to an adverb — because that is what
Apollo did!
Together with the ability to innovate, it signifies the ability to be dynamic and,
importantly for healthcare, it denotes the evolution of care to support all our patients
in the most challenging times we have seen in several decades. While resilience is
invisible, it is inculcated in our culture, in our value system. It is the combination of
resilience and agility that has resulted in the new Apollo — Healthcare delivery_that
goes beyond our infrastructure — scaling clinical protocols, embracing digital
health, and working to protect and serve societies by sharing best practices. We have been
especially agile in bringing quality Apollo care to the masses in India through
Telemedicine. In doing that, we have successfully broken geographic boundaries and
increased access to healthcare. No other hospital in India has the range of health
services that we offer through this medium.
The last fifteen months have clearly been one of the most challenging periods, a period
which placed unprecedented demands on healthcare systems everywhere around the world. But
it has also been an exceptional and defining period for the sector, placing it at the
forefront of the national narrative. In my career as a clinician for over six decades, I
have witnessed doctors battling disease, every single day, together with their patients.
There have been crises, situations that caused great panic, emergencies and alongside,
enormous joy, every time a medical miracle was achieved and a precious life was saved
almost miraculously. The CO VID-19 crisis however, is an unparalleled medical crisis of a
kind that I have never witnessed before as a doctor. It is one of the toughest challenges
we have faced as a country.
Project Kavach - Our Response to COVID-19
Project Kavach is our Hospitals' multipronged strategy which we used to handle the
pandemic. Under this, we deployed several unique strategies, such as an AI-based Covid-19
screener, the digital 24/7 integrated App for teleconsultations which we launched at the
onset of the first wave, collection of samples from home for diagnostics, at-home health
monitoring services and medication delivery, a multi-stakeholder partnership to provide
medical care in hotel rooms across the country, and methods to rapidly update care
protocols across our entire network to help reduce speed of transmission and mortality. In
the process of looking after 63,000+ patients in our hospitals with outstanding clinical
work, we have not lost touch with ground reality. My deep gratitude to the doctors and
nurses and the team that made this possible.
I must commend the Government of India and the different State Governments for their
efforts to contain the pandemic, be it in augmenting capacity for testing or driving a
mammoth vaccination programme with two Made in India vaccines — the very best example
of Atmanirbar.
Kavach overcame some unique challenges through innovative new healthcare delivery
approaches.
The Future of Healthcare
The future of healthcare infrastructure is going to be founded on technology. The new
paradigm has to be patient-centric. The convergence of AI and Biotech together with
Research and Innovation, will create personalised curated healthcare for individuals,
helping them lead long, productive lives.
Public Private Partnerships in healthcare delivery need strong support. We have worked
with 16 state governments and the Center during the pandemic and have strong PPP models in
several states to deliver telemedicine.
Apollo 24/7 enables users from any part of the country to use trusted Apollo services
from their phones, at the click of a button.
Apollo 24/7
Apollo 24/7, our digital healthcare platform, is a transformational offering. It is
India's first Digital Omnichannel, which places the consumer first in its value chain of
offerings. The App makes Apollo expertise available to everyone, regardless of their
physical location. Secure on-line consults, consultation bookings, medicine orders from an
Apollo Pharmacy close to their home for delivery at their doorstep in two hours, are some
of its key features.
Non Communicable Diseases
Non Communicable Diseases — cardiac diseases, strokes, diabetes, and cancer, are a
big threat to the health of our nation. It is estimated that 1 in
10 Indians suffers from an NCD and that is very worrying, especially as the prevalence
is increasing amongst the 25–55 year-olds. Every 7th mortality
Prohealth is a unique end-to-end personalised proactive health management program. It
is empowered by Artificial Intelligence and predictive algorithms.
in India is due to an NCD. India cannot afford this devastation. However, NCDs are
preventable. An end-to-end approach to combat NCDs, has a prime focus on preventive
healthcare. Timely detection with personalized care and risk prediction can help mitigate
potential health issues at an early stage.
Apollo ProHealth is our proactive and personalized health management system which
we have launched using the learnings from the roughly 22 million health checks that we
have carried out in our hospitals. Using Artificial Intelligence and health analytics to
predict and prevent health risks through appropriate clinical and lifestyle interventions,
it keeps people out of the hospital. It offers a plan to make you healthier tomorrow, than
you are today.
All our initiatives have resulted in strong financial results that I am happy to share
with you. We weathered the impact on Outpatient and Surgical volumes because of the
pandemic impact, which eased over the second half of the year. There was a revival in
patient footfalls and Non-COVID occupancy across our network.
At Apollo, we have made agile modifications in the delivery of critical healthcare
services to fulfill our mission of bringing quality healthcare to the common man. This is
our business purpose. In the pursuit of this purpose, we have played an important role in
improving health outcomes throughout the country and in building a productive workforce.
Healthcare continues to support the health of the country and its economy. With the
right support it can do for India what IT did in the 90s in creating jobs, building
world-class products, delivering outstanding services, and earning foreign exchange. We
have the potential to become the hospital for the world.
As we break into the new digital frontiers in healthcare delivery, I would like to
thank the Board members for their trust and unfailing support in our journey. I have to
thank you, the shareholders for the tremendous trust you have reposed in us. Without your
support we will not be able to face unexpected challenges or venture into new realms in
healthcare delivery. And last, but not least, I thank my Apollo Family members who have
stood with us like rocks on our journey together. Much of what we have achieved would not
have been possible without their support.
The pandemic has reinforced, now more than ever, the importance of good health.
Let me remind you to take good care of yourselves. Also, get vaccinated; it is
important to stay safe and healthy.
My warm personal regards to all of you, Stay safe. Stay Healthy.
Dr. Prathap C. Reddy
Founder, Apollo Hospitals Group