Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 |
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Corporate
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Outlook Marketing - Channels and Franchises Apollo Health plans more franchise clinics by year-end Anjali Prayag
Bangalore , Oct. 20 APOLLO Health and Lifestyle Ltd, a subsidiary of the Apollo Group of Hospitals, plans to have about 25-30 Apollo Clinics by the year-end. Apollo Health already has 12 such franchise clinics up and running in the country. Speaking to Business Line, Mr Ratan Jalan, CEO, Apollo Health, said they intended to explore Kolkata, Jaipur, Siliguri and Chandigarh in the next few months, apart from setting up clinics in Riyadh, Nigeria and Bangladesh. Commenting on a possible tie-up with an insurance company, Mr Jalan said several insurance companies have been empanelled with Apollo Health. "We are talking to a couple of players, but it's too early to comment on it," he said. Having originated in South India, how does the healthcare company plan to build its brand in the North? "This is a concern expressed only in certain quarters. Actually we have had no problem in establishing our brand across the country because our commitment to the healthcare industry is well-known," he said. In the healthcare franchising industry, more than big brand-building efforts, the selection of franchisees is more important, pointed out Mr Jalan. "The frannchisee's commitment is vital. That's why we prefer the franchise owner to be an entrepreneur rather than s/he having several other businesses, because in the latter case the commitment is lower." Brand building at Apollo Clinics is in the form of programmes such as preventive health checks for customers, educating them on quality issues, etc. Apollo Clinics employ about 35 people at each centre including doctors, nurses, front office staff, technicians, etc. Though Apollo Health is involved in the selection of employees, a greater emphasis is laid on training these staff. For instance, for the franchise owners' training programme, Apollo Health has tied up with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, for a two-week general management programme in healthcare. The employees go through a Standard Operation Procedural model and a Clinic Management Software programme. It has also tied up with the NIS for a service quality programme.
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