The Apollo Hospitals Group has launched the first functional health city in Asia, Apollo Health City in Hyderabad. The health city would offer the entire spectrum of services including education, research, information technology, preventive care and holistic medicine. It will also create a talent pool of health professionals.

Established over 33 acre of land the 'Health City' is an integrated healthcare system with 300 beds facility. The city comprises of 50 speciality and super speciality care along with 10 centre of excellences for heart diseases, cancer, orthopaedic and joint diseases, neurosciences, trauma, emergency, renal diseases, eye, minimal invasive surgery and cosmetics surgery.

Announcing this to the press, Dr Pratap C Reddy, chairman of the group said, "The city is a beginning of the new era in healthcare. It brings together all the components of healthcare and creates an environment that leverages the best of all forms of medicine."

The group has already spent Rs 800-1000 crore in the last couple of years for creating existing infrastructure. The city would be set-up with an additional investment of Rs 150 crore for three centres - neurosciences, heart, orthopaedics and joint diseases.

"The city will house several institutes along with other training institutions including Institute of PG education for doctors, nursing school and college, college of physiotherapy, institute of hospital administration, institute of medical education, institute for emergency medicine and institute for paramedics', Dr Reddy said.

Talking about the research initiative he said, "identifying the gene for coronary heart diseases which is alarmingly high in Indian population and utilisation of stem cells in a variety of neurological and cardiac conditions are example of two ongoing research projects at Apollo Health City." The group is open for national and international collaborations for advanced studies in this area, he added. Currently, Apollo is conducting research in oncology, neuroscience, diabetes and cardiology.

On information technology front the group already has several initiative including medical BPO services for off-shore customers, online education for medial professionals and telemedicine services. "The centre for innovation at Health City would work towards identifying newer applications that would benefit both sick and healthy."

The Group will soon introduce two insurance products by August this year. For the purpose it has entered into a tie-up with a German company -DVK Insurance to provide health insurance.

Congratulating the Group for its initiative and contribution to the growth of healthcare system, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said, "The state has so far conducted 1300 surgeries under the Arogyasri health insurance scheme in three districts which will be extended to the entire state soon. As of now over 8000 heart surgeries have been performed on children under the Little Hearts schemes."

Arogyasri is state government initiative to provide health insurance of Rs two lakh to white ration card holder in Andhra Pradesh. The scheme was launched in April this year in Srikakulam, Ananthapur, and Mahabubnager districts in the state.