Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad today briefed media personnel about the case of a Baby boy who was born prematurely (30 week gestation period when the normal gestation period is 38-42 weeks) and suffered three serious diseases after birth.This is one of the smallest such babies to survive in the literature. Who had undergone a major surgery at this tender weight and age despite having immature lungs and extreme difficulty in breathing, needing prolonged ventilator support.The surgery was performed successfully & the baby was soon stabilized on relevant post-operative care in neonatal ICU. The baby needed to be kept nil by mouth for 15 days.The baby who was born to a 28 year old mother weighed 1.3 kg at birth was detected as having a congenital defect called “DUODENAL ATRESIA” in one of the ultrasounds done on mother during pregnancy. It is a complete closure of a portion of the lumen of duodenum leading to intestinal obstruction. This was treated by surgical correction of the obstruction & by post –operative care which involved the intake of fluids, electrolytes & nutrition through intravenous route. Baby was required to be kept nil by mouth for several days (upto two weeks following surgery) and was on Oxygen and ventilator support. The surgery was performed on the 6th day of life.The prematurity of the birth resulted in the baby suffering from difficulty in breathing & maintaining oxygen levels in blood. “This condition which was a result of underdeveloped lungs due to the prematurity in birth is called RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME / HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE OF THE NEWBORN. This is a syndrome in premature babies caused by insufficient surfactant production and structural immaturity of the lungs” said Dr. Jyotinder Kaur, Consultant Paediatrician Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad, who spearheaded the team that treated the baby. This condition was adequately treated by putting the baby on ventilator support soon after birth & by administering surfactant. The baby was fed for the first time and this was on the 16th day after birth.During the course of treatment for the above the baby developed BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA which again is a chronic lung disorder in babies born prematurely & with low birth weight. “This is a very difficult condition to treat in newborns and was treated successfully with appropriate medication and ventilation” said Dr Jyotinder Kaur. “We have seen cases where new born babies have suffered from both duodenal atresia as well as Broncho pulmonary dysplasia. In those cases it occurred separately but here it is a combination of these conditions on baby and the successful treatment of this is a testament to the endurance and patience both the team of doctors as well as the parents of the baby.Although Duodenal Atresia and Bronchopulmoary Dysplasia have been treated successfully if occurred separately in babies, it is the combination of these difficult conditions occurring together in a baby born so prematurely and with this small weight and treated successfully make this unique. Despite so many interventions and procedures, the baby did not develop any infection throughout the ICU stay. This baby weighed 2.2 kg at discharge, is neurologically normal, taking mother’s milk like any normal baby.Consultant Paediatric Surgeon Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad Dr P K Dave said “Surgeries on such premature babies are very complex and require high skill, the baby’s ability to tolerate such surgeries is less. Post operative care and state of the art infrastructure is of immense importance in creating positive outcomes.”About Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad: Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad established in 2003 is a 251 bed multi-specialty quaternary care hospital that provides holistic healthcare including prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and health education for patients and their families. With a dedicated and highly trained team of health care professionals, Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad is playing a critical role in further strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in Gujarat by setting new benchmarks in quality standards in healthcare delivery.For further information please contact: Mr. Sandip Joshi – +91 -7698815013

India, January 20, 2025: The Apollo University, Apollo Hospitals and University of Leicester, United Kingdom, have partnered to establish the Centre for Digital Health and Precision Medicine (CDHPM) at The Apollo University campus in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. The advanced research centre will bring together the expertise and resources of both institutions to create a global hub for digital health and precision medicine. The CDHPM Centre will be the hub in Chittoor, India. The hub at the University of Leicester will be based at the BHF Cardiovascular Research Centre at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.The Co-Directors of the centre will be Professor Sir Nilesh J Samani, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester, and Dr Sujoy Kar, Adjunct Faculty, The Apollo University, Chief Medical Information Officer, Apollo Hospitals.The CDHPM was inaugurated today by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chancellor of the Apollo University and Founding Chairman, Apollo Hospitals in the presence of University of Leicester and The Apollo University’s Vice Chancellors. The Centre, which is fully functional today, will focus on revolutionising patient care by developing novel digital and personalised solutions using advanced analytical approaches to routinely collect healthcare data.Commenting on the launch of CDHPM, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, said, “At Apollo, we have always been pro-health, and the Centre for Digital Health and Precision Medicine (CDHPM) sits at the core of that belief. With the CDHPM, we aspire to transform healthcare delivery by bettering disease prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and management for acute and chronic conditions and are committed to profoundly impacting global healthcare. I am certain that such advancements will benefit patients globally and shape the future of personalised and data-driven medicine. I am happy to have launched the research centre in my birthplace in partnership with Leicester University.”Dr.Vinod Bhat, Vice Chancellor of The Apollo University, discusses the partnership and its potential to drive transformative healthcare solutions forward. He says, “The launch of the Centre for Digital Health and Precision Medicine marks a monumental step forward in The Apollo University’s commitment to revolutionising healthcare through innovation and collaboration. By integrating cutting-edge medical research with advanced technology, the Centre aims to redefine patient care and create a global benchmark for precision medicine. This partnership with the University of Leicester strengthens our academic and research capabilities and paves the way for transformative healthcare solutions to create new academic benchmarks.”Commenting on the launch of CDHPM, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “The establishment of the centre will allow Leicester and Apollo to build the healthcare of the future, which has the potential to transform lives not only in India and the UK but around the globe.Combining the world-leading expertise of both institutions means we can find new and novel ways to solve the biggest challenges in health. We have also taken the first steps to provide cutting-edge degree programmes designed to address the current and future shortages of expertise in healthcare services, both in the UK and India.”The centre’s visionThe Centre’s unique strength is underpinned by the extensive understanding that the institutions have of the challenges faced by healthcare systems globally. By combining the expertise and resources of The Apollo University and the University of Leicester and leveraging the resources accessible to both sides securely, the Centre will direct its initial research efforts toward the following – although not exclusively – areas of shared strengths: cardiovascular diseases and care, acute and emergency medicine, and multi-morbidity—especially given the ageing population and the prevalence of individuals living with multiple conditions.The Centre will serve as a critical research hub within The Apollo University’s ecosystem, advancing collaborative projects in Precision Medicine and Digital Health. This joint Centre aspires to further research excellence and make meaningful contributions to healthcare innovation and patient care.Clinical Medicine research at the University of Leicester was ranked joint 2nd in the Times Higher Education (THE)’s analysis of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.The Apollo University – University of Leicester programmes being launchedIn addition, starting September 2025, The Apollo University will introduce three collaborative undergraduate programmes curated to fulfil the increasing demand for quality transnational education in domains such as Artificial intelligence, Electronics Electrical and Information Engineering, and Business Administration. As part of such programmes, students will complete the first two years of their studies at The Apollo University, India and subsequently progress to the University of Leicester, UK, for the final year of study of the programme.Additionally, four healthcare-focused Masters programmes will be offered at the University of Leicester. These programmes will cater to the increasing demand for healthcare professionals with specialised competencies. Further speciality medicine programmes developed jointly by Apollo Hospitals, University of Leicester, NHS England and the BAPIO Training Academy (BTA) will offer students diverse pathways to train, specialise and practice in the UK.The Apollo University – University of Leicester partnership so farAn overarching MoU was signed in June 2023 to strengthen links between India and the UK, establish a mutual desire to promote international cooperation and explore collaborative education and research programmes, particularly in healthcare and data science.Contact Information:For more information about the Centre for Digital Health and Precision Medicine, please visit: www.cdhpm.comAbout The Apollo University, ChittoorThe Apollo University (TAU) is the Apollo Hospitals Educational & Research Foundation’s (AHERF) commitment to transform healthcare education, research, skilling, and training in India. Through the university, the group endeavours to make definitive contributions to society through healthcare research and innovation. With defining features such as industry exposure and ensuing experiential learning, international mobility options, academic rigour, and quality faculty, the student experience at TAU creates clear value for students and, through them, for all stakeholders in the healthcare industry.TAU commenced operations by offering diverse healthcare-focused UG and PG programmes in 2021.About Apollo HospitalsApollo revolutionised healthcare when Dr. Prathap C. Reddy opened the first hospital in Chennai in 1983. Today, Apollo is India’s largest integrated healthcare platform with over 10,000 beds across 73 hospitals, over 6000 pharmacies and over 200 clinics and diagnostic centres, as well as 150 telemedicine centres. It is the world’s leading Cardiac Centre with over 200,000 surgeries and the world’s largest private cancer care provider. Apollo continues to invest in research to bring the most cutting-edge technologies, equipment and treatment protocols to ensure patients have the best available care in the world. Apollo’s 100,000 family members are dedicated to bringing you the best care and leaving the world better than we found it.About the University of LeicesterThe University of Leicester excels in health research and education, having achieved gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for its student experience and outcomes. Its Biomedical Research Centre- awarded £26 million in funding by the National Institute for Health and Care Research- is at the forefront of clinical research in many health domains. The city’s 22% South Asian population, largely of Indian heritage, underpins Leicester’s global connections, positioning it as a dynamic hub for healthcare and academic innovation, deeply integrated with cultural diversity. Kamlesh Khunti, Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, is co-leading a £10m flagship study to help improve the care outcomes of people living with multiple long-term health conditions or multi-morbidity in India and Nepal. 

Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, inaugurated its Advanced Emergency Care and 1066 emergency response program at the hands of Shri Hemant Nagrale, Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai and Dr Thomas Burke, Emergency Medicine Specialist, Harvard University, USA. The Emergency Response System is initiated with the number ‘1066’, which is answered by trained emergency personnel who would advise and dispatch GPRS enabled ambulance. The ambulance, among the most advanced in the Mumbai, has trained paramedics with all essential equipment and drugs catered to deliver care at the bedside or on the road. Shri Hemant Nagrale, Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, said, “I’m happy to inaugurate the Advanced Emergency Care Centre. This will help the emergency and critical care patients of Navi Mumbai, avail treatment within the ‘Golden Hour’. Also, we are happy to be associated with Apollo Hospitals for our Road Safety Week 2017 initiative and have been imparting safety and first aid training with their support.” Dr Thomas Burke, Emergency Medicine Specialist, Harvard University, USA, speaking at the launch said, “Emergency medicine has evolved over the years with new benchmarks. It is important for healthcare centers to adapt the international clinical protocols, as it helps saving time and life in crucial moments.” Dr Nitin Jagasia, Head, Emergency Medical Services, said, “There is a 2 – way communication between the ambulance and the hospital to ensure specific areas such as cath lab, operating theatre, ICU’s are prepared to receive the patient. The GPRS enabled tracking provides the team at Apollo an accurate estimate of patient arrival. The Apollo emergency response protocol has ensured that the majority of emergency cases have been stabilized in a time critical manner at par with the international benchmark for golden hour management.” The Stroke Clinic is a multi-disciplinary clinic where stroke patients are assessed by doctors, specialist nurses, physio & speech therapists to formulate a comprehensive treatment plan for each patient. Dr Girish Nair, Consultant, Neurology, Apollo Hospitals, said, “A person suffers from a brain stroke every three seconds in India. Following the onset of blockage of blood supply to the brain, over 1.4 million nerve cells are irreversibly damaged every second.” Dr Narendra Trivedi, CEO, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said “Apollo Hospitals has always been monitoring its service delivery against international benchmarks, which demonstrates quality of our care. This does not mean how fast we deliver the treatment, but actually how appropriate the care is and Apollo has always been driven by clinical outcomes.” Apollo Hospitals, Mumbai, has also initiated the ‘Lifesaver’s Club’, along with the Navi Mumbai RTO / Traffic Police Road Safety Week, wherein Apollo Hospitals will deliver basic life support training across various residential societies and corporate to develop community champions who would help save lives when it matters most.  

Tech giant Microsoft, along with Express Healthcare, organised a round table with select healthcare CEOs on the ‘Digital Transformation in Healthcare. The conference with healthcare CEOs brought out some concrete submissions on how technology will play a critical role in enabling healthcare. The prime focus of the select meeting was on how digitisation could help deliver superior services amid growing patient demand for better experience. The two-hour-long discussion was chaired by Jean-Philippe Courtois (JPC), Executive Vice President and President, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, who gave a broad overview of Microsoft’s mission to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for people across the region, using technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cortana. Initiating the discussion, moderator of the roundtable session, Dr Rana Mehta, Leader-Healthcare, PwC India commented that the digital revolution is actually expected to happen across the continuum of care and asked how the private sector viewed this trend as the digital revolution sets in. Briefing about private sector’s view on digital revolution in healthcare space, Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint MD, Apollo Hospitals, said, “In India, one needs to look at multiple factors like scaling, innovation, access, financing and efficiency. A combination of all these factors are driven by IT at different levels. They cannot replace hospitals but will definitely have an influence.” Further drawing an analogy between healthcare and the telecom space, Ms. Sangita Reddy informed that the infrastructure facilities put up and the investment made by the telecom sector are seeing benefits by big players like Google and Amazon. The value realisation out of the original infrastructure is getting realised. Similarly, pharmaceutical companies and hospital providers must seriously look at how they can connect the ‘Uberisation and WhatAppisation’ of healthcare, alluding to the increasing number of apps in the healthcare space. Ms. Sangita Reddy also said, “There is immense data available but the country needs data aggregation and integration. It needs the vision to integrate and put everything together. A tech giant like Microsoft can lead and tell us how it can be done. An integrated mission with a group of like-minded people and a consortium can bring in transformation.”