Arunraj for Stronger Govt-Pvt Healthcare Partnership

Chennai:Minister for health, medical education and family welfare, Dr. K.G. Arunraj, on Wednesday called for greater collaboration between the government and private healthcare sector to improve access to quality medical services across Tamil Nadu.

Speaking at an Apollo Hospitals event, Arunraj said Apollo had set benchmarks in medical excellence and was a “pride of Tamil Nadu”. He said the government was shifting its focus from treatment to prevention, health promotion and wellness under the direction of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.

Arunraj welcomed Apollo’s willingness to support government initiatives, particularly cancer and breast cancer screening. He stressed the need to bridge the geographical gap by taking advanced healthcare facilities to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and rural areas.

He also emphasised medical ethics, empathy and the sacred doctor-patient relationship, saying healthcare must combine excellence with compassion and commitment.

The minister announced the transition of Apollo’s flagship oncology unit at Teynampet into a comprehensive multi-speciality hospital.

The facility, previously known as Apollo Cancer Centre, has been officially renamed Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Teynampet.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Preetha Reddy, vice chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, said, “For more than three decades, families have trusted Apollo Hospitals in Teynampet with one of life’s most difficult journeys – cancer care.”

She said that trust, together with the extraordinary advances we are seeing in medicine, gives us the opportunity and the responsibility to do more. So now, we are taking the strength, expertise and compassion that defined our cancer care and extending it to complete healthcare for the entire family, she added.

Medicine has advanced extraordinarily, opening up possibilities for better diagnosis, treatment and outcomes, but it has also made healthcare increasingly specialised and complex, she pointed out.

Suneeta Reddy, managing director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, highlighted the clinical advantages of a consolidated model. “Chronic and severe ailments often involve multi-organ management. Co-locating diverse specialities at Teynampet allows multi-disciplinary medical teams to collaborate seamlessly under one roof, improving patient outcomes and streamlining care delivery,” she said.

Harshad Reddy, director – operations, group oncology & international, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, said, “The transition reflects the broader clinical role of the Teynampet hospital. Alongside its established oncology services, the campus now brings together cardiac sciences, neurosciences, gastrointestinal and pulmonary medicine, spine and orthopaedics, urology, critical care and internal medicine.”