Apollo to set up first super-speciality hospital in Tanzania
28 May 2011
Indian healthcare chain Apollo Hospitals will invest up to Rs250 crore for setting up a 300-bed super-speciality hospital in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.
Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited on Friday signed a preliminary agreement with the board of trustees of Tanzania's National Social Security Fund and the ministry of health and social welfare for setting up the joint venture hospital.
The deal signed on the sidelines of prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tanzania, will make modern heart care services available to people of the East African region and save many the trouble of travelling to countries like India.
The joint venture agreement was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete at Dar es Salaam on Friday.
The hospital project when completed will be a boon to Tanzania, which sorely lack heart care facilities. With almost no facilities for treatment of heart ailments and more and more Tanzanians travelling all the way to India for affordable heart care, a speciality heart care centre will hugely benefit Tanzania and neighbouring African countries.
In fact, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has asked Apollo Hospitals to set up at least five hospitals across the vast African nation.
Apollo Hospitals chairman Pratap Reddy said he was excited about Apollo's first African venture. "It should be of great help to people here," he said.
