Dr Prathap C Reddy is the Founder-Chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group. His journey is an amazing story from a boy in a village in Andhra Pradesh, India, to the architect of modern Indian healthcare.
He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1991 by the Government of India. He also received the second highest accolade in the Indian civilian awards, the Padma Vibhushan in 2010
Dr Reddy received his premedical degree from the prestigious Madras Christian College and medical degree from Stanley Medical College, both in Chennai, India. He did his Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, U.S.A. and went on to head research programmes at the Missouri State Chest Hospital.
The journey that Dr Reddy traversed soon after was indeed the road less traveled. He gave up his flourishing practice in USA at the behest of his father and returned to serve his country. Just as he was settling in, an incident occurred that shook his world and changed it forever. On a tragic day in 1979, he helplessly watched a 32 year old patient of his succumb to coronary heart disease, due to the lack of advanced heart care facilities in the country and prohibitive treatment costs overseas. He left behind a distraught wife and two young children.
Dr Reddy realized that the tragedy would repeat itself, unless someone did something about it. He began work on his dream. A dream where quality healthcare was a given, and the pursuit of clinical excellence would be a constant.
The vision was to bring international healthcare within the reach of every individual in India. His deep conviction and charisma attracted the best medical talent to India including doctors from hospitals in the US and UK. The tidal wave for change was set in motion.
The first Apollo Hospital came up in Chennai in 1983 amidst much skepticism. India in the early eighties was not the easiest place for private enterprise. Private healthcare institutions, other than small physician–owned nursing homes, were unknown and none were doing cutting-edge work.
Today, Apollo Hospitals is regarded not just as the country’s premier healthcare provider, but the driving force behind India becoming a global healthcare destination for patients from the under-developed, developing and developed countries.
