Apollo Hospitals Accomplishes yet Another Feat With Robotic Spine Surgery in the City

CHENNAI, June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

In line with its recent achievements in the field of onco-robotics, Apollo Hospitals has again proved itself to be a desired medical tourism destination with its robotic spine surgery guidance system, a superior technology in the field of spine surgery, that enables surgeons to perform highly-accurate, state-of-the-art procedures, adopted by very few hospitals in the world.

Patients who were successfully operated include Mr. Eric Francis Millican, a 65-year-old gentlemen from California, Mrs. Julia Obur deng Lual, a 44-year-old woman from Sudan and Miss Amata Stephanie Oghenefegho, a 15-year-old girl from Nigeria.

Mr. Millican, who was suffering from progressive paralysis of his limbs, underwent a complex reconstruction of the cervical spine while Mrs. Lual was treated with minimally invasive reconstruction using the unique robotic technology to treat her unremitting back pain which completely distracted her normal routines and restricted her lifestyle.

Miss. Amata Stephanie Oghenefegho, the teenager from Nigeria who was suffering from spinal deformity and had to take leave from school due to the pain, underwent a surgery for correction of the spine deformity.

Additionally, Mr.Haidar Kadhum Fatay, a 33-year-old drilling engineer from Iraq, was also treated for his spondylolyses at Apollo Hospitals.

Commenting on the successful surgeries, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group Chennai said, "We are glad to be the destination of choice for medical tourists right from developed countries like the United States to emerging markets like the Middle East & Africa. The availability of best-in-class technologies in our hospitals and access to experienced surgeons reinforces the trust patients have in our clinical outcomes. We are getting closer to making India being a global destination for medical tourists, as we keep up our efforts in making healthcare accessible and affordable for people within India."

The surgeries were performed by Dr. Sajan Hegde, Consultant Spine Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, who is credited with introducing arthroplastic reconstruction of the lumbar and cervical discs with artificial discs in India and performed the first correction of deformity (infantile scoliosis) using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) staples in Asia. Dr. Sajan is also the first Indian to have used minimal invasive techniques for decompressive procedures, spinal fixations as well as inter-body reconstructions. He is an international faculty and is the first Indian to have received the prestigious Cotrel Spine Fellowship.

About Apollo Hospitals:

In 1983, Dr Prathap C Reddy, the architect of Indian healthcare, launched the first corporate hospital in India. An integrated healthcare company, the Apollo Hospitals Group has more than 8,500 beds across 55 hospitals, more than 1200 pharmacies and 100 diagnostic clinics, medical business process outsourcing services, health insurance services, and clinical research divisions with a focus on epidemiological studies, stem cell research and genetic research. To develop talent for the burgeoning need of superior healthcare delivery, the Apollo Hospitals Group has 11 nursing and hospital management colleges. These accomplishments have earned the Apollo Hospitals Group accolades such as the Centre of Excellence from the Government of India and recognition from the Joint Commission International (seven Apollo hospitals are JCI accredited). In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo's contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. For more than 28 years, Apollo has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge research. Apollo hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services.

Primary Media Contact: Parul Chabbra, [email protected], 91-9810588410

Secondary Media Contact: Kusum Sahijpal, [email protected], 91-9999973090