The Aragonda branch of the Apollo Hospitals on Wednesday organised a 3 km-long walkathon from the Government High School to the hospital on Wednesday as part of its efforts to raise awareness on ‘total knee replacement’, and also to mark the completion of 500 such surgeries.
A team of orthopedic surgeons from Chennai and Aragonda, along with 2,000 students of various high schools in Tavanampalle and Irala mandals, took part in the walkathon.
Addressing a press conference at Aragonda, Apollo Hospitals chief surgeon Madhan Mohan Reddy, also former Director of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)‘s BIRRD Hospital, said that the Aragonda hospital has achieved a record of performing 500 total knee replacement surgeries in four years.
“All the patients were from the rural areas of Rayalaseema districts, availing the facility at a subsidised cost of ₹1.5 lakh per each procedure as against the regular charges of ₹3.5 lakh in corporate hospitals,” he said.
Apollo Hospitals group president G. Narottham Reddy said that the Aragonda unit had also initiated surgical procedures to treat hip and spine-related ailments at affordable tariffs.
“The record of performing 500 total knee replacement surgeries in Aragonda Hospital was achieved due to a series of awareness programmes in the villages and the subsidised tariff. We are committed to completing 1,000 surgeries by 2023,” Dr. Narottham Reddy said.
