Apollo Hospitals has invested Rs 155 crore for a 250-bed facility in Bangalore, which is slated for commissioning in the third week of January 2007.

The Group entered into a strategic joint venture with Imperial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre for a 51 per cent stake to make a foray into the healthcare capital of the country. Apollo already has a presence in Karnataka through the government-run Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Raichur in a public-private partnership initiative and the Apollo BGS Hospital, Mysore.

The Group's business model for hospitals in India has been either on a stand-alone model or through a joint venture/acquisition route. "The key objective is to offer the best facilities with the latest medical technology and expertise, VP Kamath, chief executive officer, Apollo Hospitals-Bangalore told Pharmabiz.

Apollo Bangalore located on the Bannerghatta Road is gearing up for a Joint Commission International (JCI), USA audit scheduled in May 2007. Indraprastha Apollo, New Delhi and Apollo Chennai are already JCI certified.

The multi-speciality hospital's focus areas are cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, medical-surgical gastroenterology, oncology and ENT (cochlear implants).

To offer the latest global medical technology, Apollo invested Rs 55 crore to install two Lineac Accelerators, high-end navigational systems for spine and neuro interventions, advanced sleep lab, 64 slice CT, 1.5 M Tesla MRI, FD10 cath-lab sourced from Toshiba, Varian, Philips, Siemens, IDC and GE. There will be nine operation theatres, of which three are Johnson modular high-end units for neuro, orthopaedic and cardio procedures.

The Group has a competitive edge in Accident Trauma care with its Toll Free No: 1066 handling cases in Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai. Its ambulances, located in different locations of the city, will shift cases to the closest hospital for immediate attention. In Bangalore, Apollo will introduce the Federal Medical Project in association with hospitals or nursing homes equipped for emergency trauma care with dedicated specialists to handle accidents, trauma, poison, cardiac and other untoward emergencies, explained Kamath.

Another initiative is a hub and spoke medical model known as 'Apollo Centres' for cardiac and nephrology-urology care in Bangalore. While the Apollo Nephro-Uro Hospital will be commissioned by January end, the Apollo Cardiology will be ready in April 2007.

Commenting on the hospital boom in India, Kamat said, "There is a growing awareness for wellness checks-up and minimal invasive procedures which demand clinical expertise and technology know-how. Going by the daily incidence of heart attack and stroke admissions, the indication is that cardiovascular diseases and central nervous system disorders are emerging as the key drivers of the sector creating a spurt in medical facility investments.

Healthcare growth in Bangalore is attributed to the educated population, IT, ITES, BPO environment offering a market, which can afford high quality healthcare, added Kamat.