Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals is conferred with Lions Humanitarian Award

Dr Reddy is the fifth Indian and second medical doctor to be conferred with this honour

Dr Prathap C Reddy, the visionary Founder Chairman, Apollo Hospitals was recently conferred with the Lions Humanitarian Award for his work in increasing accessibility and affordability of world-class healthcare to bring it within the economic and geographic reach of millions.

The award was conferred at a function held in the capital city by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Hon’ble Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare. Dr Reddy is the fifth Indian and second medical doctor to be conferred with this honour. The Lions Humanitarian Award is the highest honour of the Lions Club International Foundation given to an individual or an organisation with exemplary humanitarian efforts. Dr Reddy is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan conferred by the Government of India.

Acknowledging the award, Dr Reddy said, “It is an honour to receive the Lions Humanitarian Award in recognition of my efforts to make quality healthcare accessible for all Indian. It is my vision that India should become the global healthcare destination, recognised for its contribution to heal the world. The work done by Apollo and other great health institutions have Indian healthcare a force to reckon with. While new challenges like those from Non-Communicable Diseases continue to present risks, we must all unite to create a health system that stands as a beacon of excellence for the world.”

The occasion also saw the launch of the Lions Apollo Healthcare Partnership programme (LAHPP). This coordinated Health Care programme for the under privileged would be run by the Lions Club International Foundation in collaboration with the Apollo Group of Hospitals.

Under Dr Reddy’s guiding hand, Apollo Hospitals has harnessed technology and insurance to take healthcare to the masses. The pioneering success of telemedicine and innovative insurance in Aragonda, the world’s first V-SAT
enabled remote village in Andhra Pradesh validated the concept of ‘Healthcare for All’. Dr Reddy has been a tireless advocate for creating access through insurance. The innovative insurance project of Re.1 a day that he introduced decades ago in his native village has been adopted in multiple ways across the country and its core idea is reflected in the Government of India’s Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance programme.