Apollo Hospitals, Asia largest health care group, has chalked out an ambitious road map for the decade ahead. Outlining growth plans, Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairman - Apollo Hospitals Group said: "I am humbled and grateful to be conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan and would like to thank the Govt for recognising me for this honour. Apollo Hospitals has been blessed with the trust of over 18 million patients and also by the Govt of India with a commemorative postage stamp in recognition of the group's contribution to health care. We have now planned an investment of Rs 1,800 crore over the next 24-month and expect to have bed strength of around 13,500 beds across 70 operational hospitals in India and overseas markets."

"By mid-February 2010, Apollo Hospitals will open its 47th Hospital in the Temple City of Bhubaneswar with 300 beds, modern diagnostic equipments and super-speciality services including neonatal ICUs, five operation theatres and eight dialysis beds. The Hospital will be connected to the other national and international centres through a dedicated telemedicine network." he added.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently sanctioned a $50-million term loan to Apollo for expansion of its Reach Hospitals. The first three Apollo Reach Hospitals will soon be operational and the financing for the first phase, that involves setting up of 20 Apollo Reach Hospitals, is in place.
Complementing the leadership team at Apollo, R Basil has joined as the executive president - Healthcare. Based at the corporate headquarters in Chennai, he will lead the Hospitals Division of Apollo Hospitals Group. Welcoming him to the Apollo Family, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, said: "We are delighted to have R Basil, an extremely dynamic individual, on board at a time when Apollo is poised for even greater growth."

He added, "Apollo's differentiating pillars are the teams of highly skilled doctors, state-of-the-art equipments, health care delivery at affordable costs and the outcomes that set global benchmarks. Basil's addition to the Apollo family of 62,000 members will make our patient centric model even stronger."

R. Basil brings with him over 30 years of rich professional experience across leading organizations in India including Manipal Hospitals, Wipro GE Medical Systems and Crompton Greaves.