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BUSINESS: CORPORATE HEALTH
CENTRES
Insurance: From Illness To 'Wellness'
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"We
would like to see an Apollo clinic in every district-level town."
Dr Yogi Mehrotra, Senior Vice-President, Apollo Hospitals
Enterprises
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Corporate clinics
are also betting on the spread of health insurance. As private health
insurance begins to gain momentum, the number of patients who will be
able to afford quality healthcare will increase exponentially. According
to the Confederation of Indian Industry only two million people-0.2 per
cent of the country's population-are currently covered under medical insurance
whereas the number of potentially insurable lives in the country is an
estimated 315 million. "The average Indian earning Rs 10,000 per
month cannot afford to spend Rs 2 lakh on medical treatment but he can
afford Rs 300-400 per month on health insurance," points out Mehrotra.
Insurance is also expected to shift the emphasis
from "illness to wellness". At present a patient generally goes
to a doctor only when he is sick. As healthcare affordability increases,
the trend will be towards health check-ups and preventive medicine. Both
Max Healthcare and Apollo have established agreements with various multinationals
and embassies for their healthcare needs. "Such clients expect international
standards, which we provide," says Joshi. Apollo has an ongoing Executive
Health Programme in its hospitals which extends to its new clinics. This
includes health check-ups for new employees and, in the case of embassies,
health clearance for issuing visas. The advantage for the health companies
is an assured customer base that can easily afford the services.
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CLINICAL PLANNING
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Apollo
STATUS: Has two clinics in Delhi, one each in Mumbai, Chennai,
Hyderabad. Also has seven speciality hospitals.
PLANS: To have 500 clinics across India. Also intends to
open some abroad. Another six super-speciality hospitals are on
the anvil.
Max Healthcare
STATUS: Two primary
clinics, one secondary diagnostic centre in Delhi.
PLANS: Thirty primary, four secondary centres, one general
and one speciality hospital in Delhi in the next five years. Will
expand to other metros later.
Fortis Healthcare Limited
STATUS: One super-speciality
hospital in Mohali (not functional yet).
PLANS: Six small clinics in Punjab to be run as extensions
of the hospital.
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Above all, it's the woefully inadequate and inefficient
Indian healthcare system that is the best bet for the success of corporate
clinics. The estimated size of India's private healthcare industry is
a whopping Rs 60,000 crore. According to a recent study undertaken by
the management consulting firm McKinsey, the annual growth rate of the
industry today is 20 per cent and is expected to soon rise to 35 per cent.
Indians spend 12 per cent of their annual expenditure on healthcare and
out of every Rs 100 spent, Rs 82 goes to the private sector. In Delhi
alone, three out of four households regularly visit a general practitioner.
Location is important. Since most patients visit
doctors within a 10- minute driving distance of their residence, the corporates
would have an advantage in setting up neighbourhood clinics. Diagnostic
facilities are chosen entirely according to the doctor's recommendation,
making the availability of such resources within the same system convenient
for the patient and profitable for the company. The business of sickness
is set to spread.
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