Apollo plans to set medical college at Rajarhat

Kolkata, Sept 4: Healthcare company Apollo group plans to set up its first medical and paramedical college along with a multi-speciality hospital at Rajarhat near here.

"The project will be our first medical college. Our chairman has discussed the matter with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. We have asked for land from West Bengal government. Land has been identified. Our CEO is doing the follow-up," Apollo Gleneagles Hospital's director for medical services V R Ramanan said.

"The project would be implemented by Apollo. Apollo Gleneagles, a joint venture with Gleneagles of Singapore, may pick up some equity later," he said.

Apollo introduced "Positron Emission Tomography-Computerised Tomography" (PET-CT) that allows more comprehensive and cost-effective detection of cancer in its hospital here.

Ramanan said Apollo Gleneagles had shelved its cancer hospital project at Rajarhat after the Tatas announced plans to build a similar facility there.

"We have instead decided to start more speciality services like bone marrow transplant, paediatric, cardiac and obesity surgery at our existing facility here. We will also have a special area for kidney transplants. We will increase the number of intensive care beds from 72 at present to 100," he said.

UNI