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“I thought they were joking when they told me that they have already completed 100 cardiac surgeries,” Ms. Preetha Reddy, Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group said addressing a ceremony held recently at the Apollo Hospital, Colombo to congratulate the Cardiac Team of the hospital. “Any hospital takes at least a year before it runs smoothly; Apollo Chennai took more than a year to reach its hundred. I’m proud that the team here has put their heart and soul to give the best healthcare in Sri Lanka,” said Ms. Preetha Reddy who flew from Apollo’s home base Chennai especially to grace the occasion. According to Reddy, the success is largely due to the latest medical technology at Apollo Colombo, which includes a Telemedicine network (long distance electronic communication) connecting them to the best medical professionals across the globe. The 26th hospital of the Apollo Group and the first to be established outside India offering all Apollo services was 'dedicated’ to the nation by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on June 7, 2002. “Another unique achievement of the hospital is that a patient who goes through a cardiac surgery is quite ready to leave the hospital within a very short time,” Dr. Prasad Krishnan, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon said. “Within three days of surgery I was able to walk about and after seven days I went home,” smiled Podi Appuhami who has recovered from a successful cardiac operation at Apollo Colombo. “The secret behind this is Apollo’s ‘superior infection control methodology’ and strict policy against visitors coming to see patients. We are very attentive to the standard of hygiene at Apollo,” Dr. Krishnan said. The hospital had completed 131 cardiac surgeries by end October. Patients who underwent surgery during the four months have ranged from 17 days to 80 years of age. The 17-day-old baby girl a testimony to the medical marvels of Apollo was present at the ceremony. She had been flown from Kuwait to Colombo for an Arterial Switch Operation on October 10, 2002. Dr. Krishnan said that over 20 of the 100 cardiac cases were infants with varying types of congenital heart diseases, many weighing less than 9 kg. The Cardiac Team at the hospital has also performed two groundbreaking operations, one of which is the use of an Ampltazer Septal Occluder (ASO) Device to treat a heart defect identified as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). It is the first successful instance of this procedure being performed in Sri Lanka. Apollo Colombo has also received a large number of foreign patients within the short time. It has treated over 200 patients from the Maldives. The 500-bed hospital runs an Eye Clinic (Sankara Nethralaya) as well, with Refractive Laser Corneal surgery (PRK and LASIK) which is new to the country and a 24 hrs-ambulance service - ‘Hospital on Wheels’ – equipped with a complete life support system coupled with a Cardiac ICU and a Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab). “Apollo is here to do the best, to give Sri Lanka the best in healthcare, I want to assure you again… we are very committed to deliver that standard to this country,” Preetha Reddy said. The founder chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group, Doctor Pratap C. Reddy during his visit to Colombo last June told the PRIU how he was inspired to launch Apollo in Colombo. "It is because, at any given time 10% percent of the patients at the Apollo Hospital in Madras alone are from Colombo… I think at any given time we see about 100 people from Sri Lanka in the main and speciality hospitals in India. So this is where I think we all came to a point saying… 'Why shouldn't we consider'… and it all happened… there is only one person who is responsible for it. That is, Her Excellency the President of Sri Lanka,” he said. Established in India in 1983, the Apollo Hospitals Group has treated over 7.5 million patients to date. Interview with Dr. Pratap C. Reddy
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“The
combination of a highly skilled medical staff and state-of-the-art
technology has made it possible for Apollo Hospital Colombo to perform 100
Cardiac surgeries within four months of its establishment in June 2002, ”
the Hospital’s Managing Director, said recently.
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