Editor’s Note of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Sarita Vihar

It is often said that nothing happens, unless there is a dream first. At the genesis of the Apollo story there was a dream. A dream so powerful, that it helped transform the medical landscape in India. The dream nurtured and grew within Dr. Prathap C Reddy, the founder Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, until the point of inflection happened in 1983 . A young man succumbing to an ailing heart was what it took to give ignite Dr. Reddy’s vision into a reality - a vision where quality healthcare was a given, where the pursuit of clinical excellence was daily endeavor, India a hub in the medical tourism map and where the Apollo family touches and enriches lives every minute, every day.Apollo Hospitals started as a 150 bed hospital in Chennai in 1983. And it has to be said, amidst much scepticism. India in the early 80’s was not the easiest place for private enterprise. Moreover private healthcare institutions were unknown and they were not doing cutting edge work. 25 years later it is an amazing story of success, achievement and most importantly dreams realized.As Apollo Hospitals has made colossal strides to reach where it is, more and more facets of the founding vision have turned to reality. Today Apollo Hospitals is not just one of the country's premier healthcare providers and had also played a pioneering role in helping India become as center-of-excellence in global healthcare. The Apollo Hospitals group today includes over 7,500 beds across 43 hospitals in India and overseas, neighbourhood diagnostic clinics, extensive chain of Apollo Pharmacies, medical BPO and health insurance services, clinical research divisions that are working on the cutting edge of medical science. However the largest achievement of the Apollo Group has been to take quality healthcare to across the length and breadth of India. Of touching 10 million lives and giving hope to an entire segment of the Indian population who did not have an option beyond the limited medical infrastructure available here at that point. Apollo has succeeded in being more than just a quality healthcare provider, but a major player in scripting the medical landscape of the nation. This is primarily because the group has continuously been at the helm of several game-changing innovations in Indian healthcare.