Apollo Hospitals is undertaking a major expansion across India, with plans to add over 4,300 beds and invest Rs 8,000 crore over the next few years. The expansion includes new hospitals in Gurugram, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad by FY26. The hospital chain will also invest more in AI tools to ease the workload for its doctors and nurses by automating routine tasks, such as medical documentation. In this interview, Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals, speaks to Sudhir Chowdhary about the key trends in the healthcare industry and the hospital’s plans. Excerpts:
How is technology shaping up the healthcare scenario?
India’s healthcare sector is rapidly changing with a digital metamorphosis that is being driven by increasing investments in IT infrastructure. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are expanding beyond urban centres into Tier II and III cities, enabling real-time data sharing among providers. Telemedicine platforms have seen exponential growth, helping to bridge the urban-rural divides with remote specialist consultations through apps like Apollo 24/7.
AI adoption in Indian healthcare is projected to register a CAGR of 40.6% to reach $1.6 billion by 2025 with the increasing use of AI-driven tools for disease prediction, image interpretation and treatment planning. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) that includes wearable sensors and AI-enabled monitoring devices is gaining traction as these allow rapid analysis of medical data.
Robotics is another growing trend in the form of robotic-assisted surgery that improves dexterity and range of motion in surgery. AI is also enhancing robotics in surgery, improving accuracy and assisting surgeons with real-time decision support.
Where would you place Apollo in terms of its digital journey?
Apollo is making significant progress in its journey to integrate digital technologies and processes into its operations. Key hospital systems have been digitised with hospital information system (HIS), electronic medical records (EMR) and picture archiving and communication system (PACS) solutions. Patient records, operational metrics, and financial KPIs with advanced analytics dashboards allow monitoring of key indicators such as bed occupancy, ICU utilisation rates, and
supply chain performance in real time, driving operational efficiencies and cost optimisation.
We successfully launched Apollo 24/7, the largest healthcare omnichannel platform that integrates teleconsultations, electronic prescriptions, home sample collection, and e-pharmacy services.
Our partnership with Google also includes the development of an AI-powered clinical decision support system. This clinical intelligence engine (CIE) leverages data from Apollo Hospitals and GoogleCloud’s large language models (LLMs) to create a proprietary solution in which all patient data is kept securely within the hospitals’ systems, enabling doctors to identify the next best action for patients during consultations. We currently allocate 3.5% of our digital budget specifically to AI development.
Which technologies are you most excited about?
AI remains at the forefront with exciting new developments in predictive analytics in the field of cardiology, AI-driven oncologic workflows and more. Connected devices such as remote ECG monitors, continuous glucose monitors, and post-surgical recovery trackers are poised to revolutionise chronic disease management. Telehealth has matured beyond video calls to include remote diagnostics, virtual/Tele ICUs, and tele-mentoring for rural practitioners.
Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) are enabling personalised oncology and pharmacogenomics, allowing clinicians to tailor treatments to each patient’s genetic profile. Agentic AI and LLMs are being explored to to support clinical decision-making and improve accessibility even in tier 2 and 3 regions.
How is AI being applied in advancing treatments?
Our enhanced connected care platform uses AI-driven early warning systems that monitor patients in regular wards, reducing unexplained emergency codes by up to 80% in some hospitals. This platform uses non-invasive monitors and predictive AI algorithms that flag signs of deterioration, triggering timely intervention. In trials across Hyderabad and Chennai, this system cut “code blues” by 80% and reduced nurse workload by 70%, enabling timely clinician interventions at scale.
We have partnered with Solventums Health Information Systems, a 3M spinoff, to strengthen our AI-driven cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction tool. Apollo’s Precision Oncology Centre uses AI algorithms for genomic profiling.
What are the expansion plans at Apollo Hospitals?
Over the next 3-4 years, Apollo plans to add 4,300 beds with a total investment of over Rs 8,000 crore. Of this, Rs 1,000 crore has already been spent on land acquisition and project development, while around Rs 6,000 crore will be incurred over the coming years.
The company plans to fund this expansion primarily through internal accruals and existing funds. With a phased commissioning approach and strong fundamentals, Apollo remains confident of sustaining its growth trajectory in FY26 and beyond.