The Chennai based Apollo Hospitals group has signed a partnership with Hygeia Nigeria Limited of Lagos to offer its expertise in hospital management and overall operational management services to improve the healthcare service delivery of its Nigerian partner.

Hygeia Nigeria Limited is one of the largest healthcare groups based in Lagos, and the joint venture is the second project in the West African markets for the Apollo Hospitals group, following a similar tie up with the management of a 100-bed multi specialty hospital in Ghana.

Under the partnership, Apollo Hospitals group would assist the Hygeia Nigeria Limited in upgrading the facilities, improving clinical and administrative processes, train doctors in super specialty disciplines and provide telemedicine support. The assignment involves operational consultancy for the group located across three locations with total bed strength of 75. Further, Apollo would offer project consultancy for expansion programmes of the Nigerian partner, which includes doubling the bed strength and creation of a new hospital, said a press release from Apollo.

"Today, Apollo Hospitals is recognized for providing healthcare of international standards at affordable costs. Our pan Asian experience of establishing and managing low cost, high quality healthcare delivery models is now sought after by both the developing & developed cities. Our new partnership stands testimony to this", said Dr Prathap Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, on the development.

The sources further said Hygeia Nigeria's clinical teams would undergo training at Apollo's Center's of Excellence. Additionally Apollo's clinical and management teams would visit Hygeia's facilities to conduct CME's, medical audits, administration and business planning and other assistance. The commissioning team from the Apollo Group was in Lagos, Nigeria, last week and a senior executive from the group is presently stationed in Lagos as the resident consultant, said sources.

Suneeta Reddy, director - Finance at Apollo Hospitals Group said "Hygeia was in communication with us over the last 8 months. We are happy to be associated and share our expertise with the group. The potential is tremendous in a country like Nigeria, which is the 10th most populated country in the world and the largest in the African sub continent".

The sources said Hygeia Nigeria owns the largest HMO in Nigeria with over 80,000 members. Fola Laoye, the director of operations at Hygeia studied the Apollo model during her MBA at Harvard and initiated partnership talks with Apollo. Hygeia's HMO operations are spread across all the 36 states and Abuja, the capital city. Over 200 hospitals and clinics are in the network. It is a network of hospitals and Hygeia provides services to groups of people, employer groups, people coming together by co-operatives, people coming as individuals or families to enable them have access to the network of hospitals and professionals in the group.