Articles 11 to 20 of 31
Apollo Hospitals' Sangita Reddy: 'We Are Innovating with Models of Health Care'
Enhancing affordability and access to health care in India presents both challenges and opportunities for private companies like Apollo Hospitals, a 50-hospital chain with 8,500 beds. Apollo has already expanded its reach with telemedicine and reengineered its services to lower costs. Its next endeavor is to help create healthy living environments by promoting clean drinking water, better sanitation and appropriate immunizations, says Sangita Reddy, executive director, in an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton.
Innovating Around India's Health Care Challenges
Delivering affordable health care to India's billion-plus people presents enormous challenges and opportunities for service providers. Innovative technologies, processes and partnerships have begun bridging the health care gap, according to a panel discussion at the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia.
Narayana Hrudayalaya: A Model for Accessible, Affordable Health Care?
Cardiac surgeon Devi Shetty is on a mission to build 5,000-bed "health cities" across India, encouraged by the success of his nine-year-old Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital in Bangalore. He has contained costs at that facility by tweaking pricing and salary structures, driving hard bargains with vendors and negotiating creative partnership deals. Despite the challenges he faces in replicating what he calls "the Walmart approach" to medical services, Shetty believes using economies of scale could lead to a new health care model not only for India, but perhaps also for the world.
A 'Bigger Foothold': What Does the Abbott-Piramal Deal Mean for Indian Pharma?
In May, U.S.-based Abbott Labs secured the top spot in India's growing pharmaceutical industry -- and a potential springboard into other emerging markets -- with its US$3.72 billion takeover of Piramal Healthcare's branded generics business. At the same time, hopes that one of India's pharmaceutical majors would emerge as a global player have receded. According to Wharton faculty and industry experts, changing global business models and the resources needed to develop blockbuster drugs are propelling Indian companies to join forces with multinationals through strategic alliances or as targets for acquisitions.
'Reverse Innovation': GE Makes India a Lab for Global Markets
GE Healthcare is taking steps to make its India operations a center for "reverse innovation" -- in which cutting-edge products are first used in the developing world before spreading to more industrialized nations. At GE's John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore, it has 1,100 engineers currently working on six medical equipment technology products; the goal is to cover each of its 30 categories in the next three years. While India's huge domestic market may justify the investment, GE Healthcare will face challenges in the distribution and servicing of its products, experts say.
Lifeline Express: Can Trains-turned-hospitals Cure Rural India's Health Care Woes?
It began nearly 20 years ago with three old, wooden carriages donated by Indian Railways. Since then, Lifeline Express -- the world's first hospital on rails -- and its 100,000 volunteers have offered state-of-the-art medical services to nearly 600,000 patients to help address the enormous gap in rural health care. As Zelma Lazarus, CEO of Impact India, the foundation that set up Lifeline, notes, "People are so desperate for medical treatment they lie on the tracks to stop the train from leaving." But without policy changes and more state funding, are services such as Lifeline's sustainable?
Compassion vs. Cost: Improving the Prognosis for India's Health Care Sector
Highly qualified doctors and scientists, state-of-the-art technology and low costs have made India an attractive global hub for medical tourism, clinical studies and R&D. Now, however, Indian health care is at a critical turning point, putting its innovative acumen to the test, said a range of medical experts who spoke during a three-day course jointly conducted by Wharton and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. Sustaining India's competitive advantage in health care, they agreed, hinges on the ability of hospitals, drug manufacturers, biotech firms and non-governmental organizations to continuously find new and efficient ways to build their businesses while addressing the needs of the millions of Indians without adequate access to medical services.
Cure for an Ailing Industry? Pharma Multinationals Seek a Panacea in Indian Acquisitions
A few years ago, Indian pharmaceutical companies seemed to be on the takeover trail. But if recent headlines are any indication, the same firms are now targets for multinational suitors. According to some industry experts, an increasing number of acquisitions by multinational companies (MNCs) is almost certain once valuations improve -- whether for diversification, exposure to emerging markets or other purposes. Meanwhile, questions concerning the impact of the growing presence of MNCs in the Indian health care market -- particularly on drug affordability -- loom large.
Finding Market Opportunities in 'the Best Place to Get Sick'
India's health care industry ails from severe under-penetration among its population, especially in rural areas. But according to panelists who spoke at the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia, there are many positives in the current health care environment that merit the attention of pharmaceutical firms, hospital chains and investment funds. These include the country's low-cost base for crafting new drugs, its strengths in alternative medicine, and new technology that is helping to grow the market.
Apollo Hospitals' Shobana Kamineni: 'India Is a Nascent Country in Terms of Health Care'
By continually adopting cutting-edge technology and entering new sectors such as health insurance and pharmaceutical retailing, Apollo Hospitals, Asia's largest health care provider, has helped to shape India's medical landscape. At the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia, India Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Shobana Kamineni, the company's executive director of new initiatives, about Apollo's recent ventures and what the future holds for health care in India.
