HYDERABAD: “People across the country can now access best specialists of Indian origin residing in the United States to seek second opinions for complicated clinical problems and procedures,” announced Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman and Founder, Apollo Hospitals Group on Monday. He also announced that HealthNet Global Limited (HNG) - a company owned by Apollo Hospitals Group - has signed an MOU with the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to accomplish this. HNG is owned by Apollo Hospital Group and provide remote healthcare to people across the country.
As part of the collaboration, AAPI members will deliver free virtual consultations to the underserved rural population of Indian states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states where HNG has a presence. The collaboration would also enable patients to seek second opinions from distinguished doctors based in the United States of America for complicated clinical problems and procedures. Founded in 1982, AAPI is a conglomeration of over 80,000 practising physicians of Indian origin in the USA. It also serves as a platform for more than 40,000 medical students, residents and fellows of Indian origin in the USA.
Dr Suresh Reddy, President, AAPI, added, “It is a great opportunity for all the Indian-origin physicians living in the US to serve the country of their birth. This is part of Telemedicine and has gone into a structured program. AAPI represents over a lakh Indian Physicians in the US. Every sixth patient in the US is seen by an Indian physician, we are proud of it, but with this, we will also be helping patients in India. This is a way for us to pay back to our own country. Through this tie-up, we can extend world-class healthcare to the poorest of the poor in the rural parts of India. It has been possible due to the advent of advanced technology in recent years.” HNG provides integrated solutions and services for connected health and continuum of care through remote healthcare services.
“As part of our collaboration, HNG will connect AAPI members with the underserved rural population through Medeintegra – our flagship telemedicine platform. People across the country will also be able to access the profiles of all the AAPI physicians through our App to seek consultations and second opinions and make informed decisions about their healthcare needs. Our collaboration is another initiative to use the latest technology to meet the healthcare needs of the people of India,” said Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group. She said the Doctors of Indian origin have been contributing their bit to aid the poor in India, on an individual basis during their visit to the country. The AAPI’s willingness and the advanced technology at Apollo, have made it possible.
“According to the latest data available, the patient to doctor ratio is 1:1,600 and virtual consultations would be a boon to the Indian society at large. Telehealth today is no more an option, rather a necessity,” said Dr.Ravi Jahagirdar, Past President AAPI.