The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : New healthcare facility launched in Nigeria

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 11, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

New healthcare facility launched in Nigeria

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Apollo Hospitals has launched a major telemedicine programme to improve healthcare in Nigeria.

The programme was launched on Monday through a live interview with the Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo using Apollo's telemedicine facility.

K. Ganapathy, senior consultant neurosurgeon, Apollo Hospitals and Head, Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation, interacted with the Nigerian President on the occasion of the formal commissioning of the first MRI/ CT/ Critical Care unit, and ambulance system in the private sector in Nigeria.

Nigeria with a population of 150 million people has only 4 MRI and CT scans for the whole country, far less than what is available in the city of Chennai. To address this lacuna, Lagoon Hospitals, the biggest private hospital in Nigeria, had sought the Apollo Group's help to manage and operate the new additional facility. The event was witnessed by the country's Health Minister and other dignitaries. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Group of Hospitals, in his address (delivered virtually), stressed the importance of this collaboration and assured Nigeria of all assistance in improving the healthcare facilities.

Dr. Ganapathy made a presentation on the Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation's (ATNF) achievements during the last six years. The ATNF has already put in place the infrastructure to provide healthcare for urban, suburban and rural Nigeria.

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