Chennai: Apollo Hospitals‘ Ayurveda chain, AyurVaid, plans to open four new hospitals over the next three months, taking the total to 16 hospitals with more than 350 beds, as it witnesses growing interest from younger patients, according to a senior company executive.
Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises and Chairperson of AyurVaid, said, “We plan to open four new hospitals in metro cities in the eastern and western parts of the country, including Mumbai and Kolkata, among other locations. These hospitals will complement modern medicine. After that, we will focus on refining our integrative model before further expansion.”
Calling this an inflection point for the adoption of ayurvedic treatments, she referred to the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) mandate that treats Ayurveda on par with modern medicine. She was speaking to the press on Monday after launching a dedicated AyurVaid hospital on Greams Road near Apollo’s main campus in Chennai, in the presence of Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, founder and chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group.
Rajiv Vasudevan, founder and managing director of AyurVaid Hospitals, said that contrary to public perception, many health-conscious youngsters aged 25–45 are turning to ayurvedic treatments. “We are adopting an evidence-based and clinically governed approach to the ancient system of medicine. The Ayurvedic philosophy of whole-person health and root-cause analysis is particularly effective in treating patients with multi-morbidity, complex non-communicable diseases, and those requiring step-down care after serious illness,” he said.
The new hospital will offer care across a broad range of specialties, including orthopaedics, neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders, women’s health, Ayurveda para-surgical treatments, and sports medicine. It will also offer Ayurvedic products such as classical medicines, medical foods, and OTC formulations.
