Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Mar 07, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Friday, Mar 07, 2003 |
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Marketing
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Channels and Franchises Apollo to take franchise route for dental centres Our Bureau
CHENNAI, March 6 THE Apollo Hospitals has announced the launch of a chain of specialised dental centres in Chennai. The launch was kicked-off by the inauguration of the first two centres of the chain in Chennai on Wednesday. Apollo Hospitals' role in the chain will be confined largely to lending its name and conducting periodic audits, the Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, Dr Prathap C. Reddy, said. Investment in the dental centres and its management will be in the hands of a franchisee. Dr. Reddy said the franchise model would support the spread of the chain of dental centres. Providing the background to the concept of the dental centres, Ms Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, said that there is inadequate attention to dental centres. According to Dr Reddy, the focus of the dental chain would be "preventive dentistry". Apollo Hospitals has its own dental centre in Chennai that carries out complex dental treatment. The establishment of the new dental chain would constitute a "hub and spoke model", Ms Reddy said. Group officials indicated that the new clinics would serve as the first layer that would deal with commonplace problems. Complicated cases may be referred to Apollo's own dental centre in Chennai. Apollo's attempt to establish a chain of dental clinics mimics its transition towards managing hospitals for a fee rather than build them. According to Ms Reddy, "it is not necessary to invest in brick and mortar for a network". The new dental clinics are a viable proposition, said group officials. According to Mr. S. Ramamurthy, Vice President — (Projects), Apollo Hospitals, about seven to eight cases a day in the new clinics is enough to reach break-even soon. The clinics will operate out of rented premises, and the dentists at the clinic will work on a fee-for-service basis. Consequently, the clinics hope to keep overheads low, said officials. Ms Reddy hoped that the clinic network would increase to about 20 in two to three years. A press release indicated that the next two centres are to be in Chennai and Kolkata. The dental clinics offer a few value added services. Apollo's press release said that it is working with insurance companies to offer a dental insurance package. Another package offered is a dental check-up.
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