Pyaare Lal, a 54-year-old man who was suffering from kidney failure, is a health man now! His elder brother offered to donate one of his kidneys. However, a blood group mismatch rendered their kidneys incompatible. But for doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi, that was not a restraint at all ! They conducted the transplant using the incompatible kidney, successfully and gave the patient a new lease of life ! “”We used a special technique to prime the recipient’s defence system to accept an organ with a mismatched blood type. The process involved blood cleansing through plasma exchange that rids the system of cells that would have rejected the previously incompatible kidney. We administered the patient with a drug called Rituximab to reduce antibodies in his blood. Pyaare’s blood type is O while his brother’s is type B,”” said Dr Sanjiv Jasuja, Senior Consultant Nephrologist at Apollo. Numerous patients with kidney failure are not able to undergo transplant due to the non-availability of donors with a matching blood group, he said. Dr Gaurav Sagar, another senior doctor, said transplants involving incompatible kidneys have been carried out successfully in Mumbai and Ahmedabad and foreign countries like Japan. “”The five-year survival rate of patients in such cases is almost as good as in regular transplants with matching donors,”” Sagar claimed. Meanwhile, Lal, who was on dialysis for a year, couldn’t be happier. “”My wife and sister-in-law have the same blood group as me. However, they couldn’t donate their kidneys because of health problems like high blood pressure. I had lost all hope and thought that I was going to die. Even my brother, though willing, could not donate the organ. The doctors have given me a new lease of life,”” said the patient, a farmer based in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The surgery cost Rs 10 lakh approximately. In India, approximately 1,75,000 kidneys, 50,000 hearts and 50,000 livers are needed for transplantation every year, said Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals. “”There is a need to promote organ donation,”” he said. At present, only 0.1% of all donations are from cadavers.  

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit today inaugurated a Women’s Health Camp, organized by Apollo Hospitals aimed to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as other cancers, including issues related to prevention and early diagnosis. To commemorate the occasion, she also released the special edition of Apollo Life Oncology at the Delhi Secretariat. The Apollo Life special issue highlights the dangers of various cancers, including breast cancer, and emphasizes preventive steps Speaking about the event, the Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit said: “”Every year, tens of thousands of new cancer cases occur in India. The rise of various cancers is all the more worrying because of the high death toll exacted, as well as due to the disruption of people’s lives caused by stress and the heavy burden of medical expenses. Preventing a dangerous ailment like cancer is therefore is critical. I applaud the sustained efforts of Apollo Hospitals in raising awareness about cancer and its preventive measures among patients and the public.”” With 800,000 new cancer cases every year in India, its impact painfully devastates the lives of cancer patients and their families. With many patients belonging to the productive age group – a significant number being breadwinners in the family – the impact transcends what mere statistics convey. Commenting on rising cancer morbidity and mortalities, in a personal message Apollo Hospitals’ Chairman, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy said: “With improving lifestyles and rising disposable incomes, the traditional diets of most Indian families has undergone a drastic change. Given the high proportion of processed food in the diet, cancer cases are increasing across the spectrum. Modern conveniences have also been promoting sedentary lifestyles, exacerbating health issues and driving up cancer rates. I appeal to all people, particularly women, to embrace the necessary lifestyles changes, including consuming healthy foods and exercising regularly. Prevention is the best means to overcome the ominous threat of cancers.”  

In a perfect combination of healthcare and technology, a unique health camp has caught the attention of people of Rajasthan. This unique effort saw renowned doctors travelling to Ajmer and treating people with the help of latest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools. “”Though the basic idea behind the entire project, which took us weeks to prepare, was to ensure presence of leading doctors at Ajmer so that poor and rural people could get basic treatment and consultancy from them, and only patients who require advanced healthcare are taken to Delhi or other places, we wanted to prove that India is ready with its ICT tools to be utilised for medical care,”” said Mr. Sachin Pilot. “”In two days we showcased the prowess of telemedicine and how it can change the way people gets treated in India without travelling to cities…we roped in telemedicine units of various hospitals like Apollo and also technology companies like the Department of Information Technology’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Cisco and Tulip Telecom. We combined their capabilities to set up a unique health camp and help leading doctors provide latest medical care with all possible diagnostic paraphernalia required,”” Mr. Pilot pointed out. In the camp, the telemedicine division of the Apollo Hospitals facilitated virtual consultations using a well-equipped hospital on wheels (HoW) sourced from its Hyderabad unit. Each of the five cubicles in the HoW were connected to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bhubaneshwar and Ahmedabad simultaneously. Some of the cubicles had telemedicine enabled peripheral medical devices for transmitting ECGs, heart sounds, blood pressure and pulse rate oxygen saturation, thus helping doctors to treat a patient on real-time basis. For the record, in just two days over 70,000 people from Ajmer and surrounding areas were given medical consultancy and treatment, while 5,000 reading glasses and spectacles and 800 hearing aids were; distributed to the needy. Over 300 tricycles and wheel-chairs and 200 crutches were also given free of cost, while almost 30,000 various medical tests were conducted. Another 20,000 medical kits comprising antiseptic cream, oral rehydration solution, de-worming tablets, vitamins, over-the-counter medicines were distributed a t the camp.

In a first of its kind initiative in India, the Apollo Hospitals Group provided 535 tele-consults from 65 different specialists in 2 days in 13 different specialities from 5 Apollo Hospitals simultaneously at a general mega-health camp at Ajmer ranging from neurology, cardiology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, dermatology, oncology to sexual medicine. Various subspecialities were covered including Asthma, Spine, pediatric neurology etc using a well equipped Hospital on Wheels, patients were connected to Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneshwar. Consultants interacted and virtually examined the patients at the camp and give the necessary e- advice thro an e -prescription. Details of the examination were stored in special electronic records. With prior consent the entire consultation was recorded in some of the tertiary centres.The telemedicine division of the Apollo Hospitals ( Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation and Apollo Telehealth Services Ltd. ) facilitated these virtual consultations using high speed broad band connectivity. Each cubicle had dedicated 1MBPS connectivity. 1MBPS connectivity was also made available at the registration/ prescription dissemination counter. Chennai based neurosurgeon Prof K. GANAPATHY, President of Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation and immediate Past President of the Telemedicine Society of India led the 30 member Apollo Telehealth team ably assisted by Vikram Thaploo CEO Apollo Telehealth Services Ltd.  

The Critical Care Units of Apollo Main Hospital, Chennai and Apollo Speciality Hospital, Madurai were ranked as ‘Best of Best’ for applying evidence based nutrition practices for managing critically ill patients. This award was based on International Nutrition Survey conducted across 183 Critical Care Units worldwide. This is the first time that a unit from India has received this recognition. The accomplishment is a true reflection of team effort involving doctors, clinical dieticians and nurses. Dr. N.Ramakrishnan, Director, Critical Care Services and Dr. Bhuvaneshwari, Group Chief Dietician represented the team and received the award during the 35th Annual International Conference of American Society of Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) held in January 2012 at Orlando, USA.  

A unique celebration of love at Delhi organised by Dr. Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals. Even as thousands exchange cards and roses, 40 couples from across the country, where one partner has donated a vital organ such as a kidney, or a part of the liver to their spouse, come together to raise a toast to their partner’s ‘new life’. Dr. Anupam Sibal, organising the bash at India Habitat Centre said, “What can be a bigger symbol of love than giving a part of yourself to the one you love? We thought why not honour such selfless love by inviting these couples. Transplant is like rebirth, and people who have gone through it owe their lives to their partners.” Interestingly, in all 40 couples attending the party, the wife has donated the kidney or liver to the husband. “Wives strongly outnumber husbands as donors, and are the first to offer their organ to save the husband’s life,” says Dr Sibal. One such woman, 35-year-old school teacher Anju Verma from Delhi, who has donated half her liver to her husband, says, “”My world came crashing when I found out that my husband’s liver is badly damaged. But, when I got to know about liver transplant, my hope returned. Despite my husband’s resistance, I went ahead. That was the only way to get him back, and I could not have been happier.”” She adds that she is excited about attending the Valentine’s Day party with her recovering husband. Another invitee, Satpal, 29, will come to the party with his wife Mandeep Kaur, 28, who donated a part of her liver to him last year. “”This will be our best Valentine’s Day celebration, as we will spend the evening with couples like us who know what we’ve been through. I have no words to express my love for Mandeep. All I can say is that we were one soul, and we have become one body now,”” says the young automotive mechanic in a choked voice. Lawyer RP Goel, 55, whose wife donated him her kidney, shares Satpal’s sentiments, “”It may not be our age to celebrate Valentine’s Day but I am really looking forward to joining the party, as it’s a celebration of a different kind. Love makes you do the bravest of things. My wife’s unconditional love made her give me her kidney. My life is hers, and that’s what I am going to tell her in front of everyone ,”” he says.  

Apollo Hospitals Group today unveiled a breakthrough MRI-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) solution from Philips at its Hospital in Chennai. This was announced by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group and Mr. Krishna Kumar, President, Philips Healthcare, India, here, today. MRI Guided HIFU offers a non-invasive alternative to the traditional treatments for uterine fibroids in women. It combines magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The benefits for women include – no surgery, no radiation, no scar, no anesthesia, quicker recovery, more precise image guided treatment and only little stress. The technology has tremendous applications in the non-invasive treatment of benign and malignant tumors. The MRI Guided HIFU system was first clinically approved for the treatment of non-cancerous tumors like uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growth of the uterus that often appears during childbearing years. Also called myomas, uterine fibroids aren’t associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer. As many as 1 out of 4 women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives, but most are unaware of them because they often cause no symptoms. The doctor may discover them incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound. In women who have symptoms, the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged menstrual periods (seven days or more of menstrual bleeding), pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination, difficulty emptying your bladder, constipation, backache or leg pains. Existing treatment options for women included medication or surgical removal of fibroids. In contrast to the existing treatment options of surgery to remove fibroids, MR guided HIFU is a non invasive ablative procedure that helps all women especially those in the reproductive stage. It offers good symptomatic relief with no post operative complications, no scarring and reduced hospital stay. Hence this procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis, with the patient leaving the hospital the same day and almost fully recovered within a few days. The MR-HIFU system uses safe and focused ultrasound waves to heat and coagulate benign or cancerous tumor tissue deep inside the body without damaging intervening tissues. Apollo Hospitals is the first chain of hospitals to introduce MRI- HIFU system in India. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals, said “Apollo has always adopted the latest in technology to provide the very best care to the patients, HIFU is one such which is safe, radiation-free, and a boon for women with fibroids. The new MR-guided HIFU offers an extremely doctor and patient friendly treatment option. It is guided by magnetic resonance for three-dimensional planning of the procedure and offers real time temperature monitoring during the ablation to control the amount of energy delivered to the tissue by the HIFU machine. Apollo will have this technology at all its hospitals.” Mr. Krishna Kumar, President, Philips Healthcare India, said, “The future of medicine in our view will be image-guided, non-invasive and without radiation, and MRI-HIFU represents the convergence of these 3 principles for improving the lives of women with uterine fibroids and people with malignant tumors. The launch of MRI-HIFU is yet another testimonial to Philips’ commitment to bring cutting-edge innovations to solve key healthcare challenges like tumors that face India.”  

WHITE Dental Care, an initiative by the Apollo Hospitals Group, is to bring world Class dentistry to India and to light up a billion smiles across India and making it glow on the world map as a Nation free of dental problems and pain. WHITE Dental Wellness initiative will be implemented in four different formats – EXPRESS, CLINICS, STUDIO and SPA, all across India, starting from 6th Feb 2012. The Current Apollo Dental Centres are renamed and repositioned as “”WHITE DENTAL CLINIC”” (An Apollo Hospitals Group Initiative) to make these services accessible and affordable to all sections of the society, thus enhancing Dental Hygiene and Wellness across India. WHITE Dental Care is an Apollo Hospitals Group Initiative, which is formed as a Joint venture, which combines the Trust, Experience and Clinical expertise of Apollo with the Precision, Value and Technology of Trivitron Healthcare, to provide State of the Art Dental Care across India and other emerging markets of the world providing the usual Tender Loving Care in Apollo’s Way in the field of Dentistry. The launch of WHITE Dental Brand was formally announced and India’s First ‘Seven Star’ Dental SPA at Chennai, was inaugurated by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, along with Mrs Aishwarya R Dhanush, renowned South Indian Film personality, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion. For further information, please visit www.whitedentalcare.in    

  On the Occasion of World Cancer Day (February 4), Apollo Cancer Institute, Chennai organized series of activities to spread cancer awareness. Kollywood Actor & reputed Radio Jockey John Vijay inaugurated an exclusive workshop on Cancer Prevention that was organized by Apollo Cancer Institute, Chennai, where in more than 500 Participants from NGOs, Self-Help Groups, Colleges, Female Welfare Institutions participated & and took pledge to spread the message around by every possible means. During the workshop Dr. Sankar Srinivasan, Senior Consultant, Oncologist, Apollo Cancer Institute elucidated on the need of early detection and prevention of cancer. As a part of this awareness drive free cancer screening was offered to more than 700 women. Around 1000 students from various colleges formed human chains at various points in the city, raising slogans and carrying placards. They sensitized the people to the hazardous effects of tobacco, alcohol and narcotics & the need for maintaining a healthy lifestyle & go for regular cancer screening. Pamphlets emphasizing the message of “Say no tobacco & alcohol” were also distributed to the public. Researchers suggest that one-third of cancer deaths can be avoided through prevention, and another third through early detection and treatment. Creating awareness is the only way to make people undergo preventive health check-ups. If cancer is detected early it is easy to treat, manage the disease and also the cost of treatment reduces drastically. On this Special Occasion, John Vijay also released the Special Issue of “Apollo Life”, which is dedicated to Cancer. On this Apollo Life, Special Cancer Issue Dr. Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals & Editor-in-Chief, Apollo Life said, “With 8, 00,000 new cancer cases in India alone, the disease has become so rampant that I’m quite certain that all of us know of someone who has been affected with cancer, or even had a loved one suffering from it. Thus we decided to develop an exclusive edition on cancer care which covers wide-ranging topics from simple preventive measures to rare types of cancers to technological advancements in treating the disease. With this issue, we wish to reaffirm our pledge to fight harder in the battle against the adversary called cancer.” Ms. Upasna, Publisher & Executive Editor of Apollo Life highlights the World Health Organization’s finding that early detection greatly increases the chances of successful cancer treatment, revealing that “We have developed specific Health Risk Assessment scans that can predict an individual’s risk of getting cancer. Prevention is certainly better than cure.”  

Rupees 19 Lakhs were needed to save the life of a poor patient who was suffering from Liver Cirrhosis and Hypothyroidism but unfortunately Satpal did not have money for his treatment. In this situation, Apollo Hospitals took a decision to conduct his surgery, free of cost. Patient Satpal Singh says that Apollo, in particular Dr. Subash Gupta gave him a new life. I am alive because of the efforts of Dr. Subash otherwise rest of the hospitals had lost all hopes considering my condition. According to Dr. Subash Gupta, Satpal was suffering from Hypothyroidism, in this situation which appears because of additional thyroid hormone secreted in his body. He was also suffering from swelling in his feet and ankles. Different tests were conducted for this and it was found that he was not only suffering from hypothyroidism but also with diseases like liver cirrhosis. His liver was damaged. The only solution for this was liver transplantation but a Liver transplantation surgery is quite costly. Satpal needed 19 lakhs for this surgery but he did not have that much money. But at last, a successful life saving surgery was conducted free of cost. According to Dr. Subash Gupta, 30 year old Satpal’s situation was so critical that his surgery took a long time. Even after the surgery his situation was quite critical and he was kept in ventilator for 36 hours. Transplant surgeons handled the situation very efficiently and slowly Satpal’s situation got better. Now, Satpal is completely fit.  

Apollo Reach Hospitals, Karaikudi, was inaugurated on the 26th of December, 2011, by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Guests of Honour at the inauguration were Union Minister of Home Affairs, Government of India, Shri P Chidambaram and His Excellency, The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Dr. K. Rosaiah. Apollo Reach Hospitals, Karaikudi, underlines Apollo’s vision to take high quality health care to every corner of our country. The Heart of India lives in its villages & towns, and only a healthcare model that encompasses all of India is complete, comprehensive and effective. Apollo Hospitals has revolutionized Indian healthcare for close to three decades. It has driven a long list of pioneering achievements that have been instrumental in India emerging as a global healthcare destination. Today, Apollo is leading the march to take healthcare to a billion lives. It’s a mission that will draw strength from the strong foundation of clinical excellence, expertise and deep experience. Innovative delivery models like telemedicine, mHealth and Reach Hospitals will make it more robust. We urge the nation for its support to help us take quality healthcare closer to every Indian. A healthy India is a more vibrant India, a more powerful India ! Apollo Reach Hospitals, Karaikudi – powered by the collective expertise of the Apollo Group is a multi-speciality tertiary care hospital with the following features & services : 110-beds 3 state-of-the-art Modular Theatres Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – 5 Beds with Ventilator (Galileo) & comprehensive state-of-the-art instrumentation Services in 21 specialities including Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, Emergency & Critical Care and Preventive Care 24×7 fully functional Emergency Care Cutting-edge Laboratory & Diagnostic facility and CT Scan Cath Lab backed by ACLS- Ambulance and Blood product distribution centre, equipped to provide Emergency & Critical Care Services Endoscopy Suites and Dialysis Services Comprehensive Health Screening Programs

Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, organized an event, ‘Celebrating Life’, to commemorate ‘Cancer Survivor’s Day’. More than 50 cancer patients attended the event held at the hospital premises. ‘Celebrating Life’ acknowledged the never-say-die spirit of cancer patients who have survived the disease against all odds. Dr Harsh Dua, Sr Consultant Oncology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said: “Due to the latest advances in cancer research, cancer is looked upon without dread just like any other disease. We want society to realize this fact and integrate this positive approach towards life in interactions with cancer patients, thereby improving the mental, physical and qualitative aspects of patients’ lives.” Living with cancer has a number of important aspects. The disease affects the finances, relationships, emotional state and even the daily routine of patients. Despite all this, it’s not necessary that everyone who gets cancer will die from it. There are many people with cancer who have undergone treatment successfully. For such patients, their cancer is an ongoing health problem that can be controlled by strictly following the treatment regimen. During the two-hour long event, patients spoke about their single-minded journey from despair to hope after their cancer was diagnosed. As a wave of spreading positivity a Hasya Kavi Sammelan was organized where noted humourist Surinder Sharma and others participated. All the cancer survivors were felicitated for their irrepressible passion for life that ensured they did not lose hope. Highlighting the magic that science has performed in the field of oncology or cancer treatment, a magic show was also part of the event.