CHENNAI: Pioneering new methods and practices have been the leitmotif of the Apollo group of hospitals. And keeping in tune with this, the group has now introduced a convenient cost saving exercise - day surgeries. As the name implies, it is surgery by day and truly ‘at home’ by night.On Thursday, the first Apollo Day Surgery Clinic was launched at Alwarpet, the first of its kind in Chennai. Dr Prathap C Reddy, founder-executive chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, inaugurated the healthcare facility in the presence of Andrew T Simkin, Consul General, US Consulate, Chennai, and Ajit Singh, Consul General, Consulate of the Republic of Singapore.Speaking on the occasion Dr Prathap C Reddy said, “ This day surgery clinic is a clear marker to our progress from hospital care to clinical care. I hope our next destination will be home care, bringing cure to patients in the comfort of their homes. Day surgery is a concept that is gaining ground all over the world as it offers advantages not just to the patients and their families in terms of less stress and lesser costs, but also would free up hospital beds and reduce waiting time for the more serious cases.”Mentioning the surgical practices prevalent in the west, Dr Reddy said that 60-70 percent of all surgeries happened in the day surgery clinics, which was the way forward. The clinic in Alwarpet, he said, had been designed to provide comprehensive health care services on all minimally invasive surgeries, which required a duration of 60 minutes or less in the operation theatre.Most of the procedures in ophthalmology, ENT, laproscopy and neurology which required a duration of 60 minutes or less could be done here, he added.Expounding on the day surgery clinic further, Dr Prathap Reddy said that it had three fully-equipped operation theatres, an endoscopy suite and a recovery bay with 16 day beds. Also, on call were a dedicated team of expert surgeons supported by anaesthesiologists, medical technicians, nursing and support staff to perform minor surgeries of short duration. Attached to this was also a 24 x 7 chest pain clinic.Mention of Alwarpet sparked off some nostalgic moments for the renowned cardiologist, as this was the place where he started his practice after his return from the US. He said, “I am very delighted that we are opening the day surgery centre at Alwarpet, because this area is close to my heart. This is the place where I started my practice some thirty years ago after my return from the United States. This is the place where the thought of setting up a corporate hospital in our country took seed in my mind.”Apollo Hospitals is looking for space to launch more day surgery clinics in other parts of the city, catering to the needs of various neighbourhoods, announced Dr Reddy.
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