Dr K. Prasad Mathews, Senior Professor (Geriatrics) at CMC-Vellore, Justice Krishna S. Dixit of High Court of Karnataka, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Dr. Preetha Reddy, Vice-Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Madhu Sasidhar, President & CEO (Hospitals division) of Apollo Hospitals, and Dr. Steve Paul at the launch of Seniors First in Bengaluru on March 22, 2025. Dr. Steve, from Apollo Hospitals on Bannerghatta Road, is in charge of implementing the Seniors First programme.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Apollo Hospitals has launched a healthcare programme – Seniors First – tailored to cater to the needs of elderly citizens. The company will rely on a parameter called ‘clinical frailty scale’ and a dedicated manager to ensure that senior citizens receive timely care when it matters the most.
Apollo hopes to make this possible by tapping into the eco-system — Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Homecare, Apollo 24/7, and Apollo Diagnostics — set up by the company over the years.
The features of Seniors First include a dedicated helpline for health-related queries and service co-ordination, a concierge team for seamless navigation care, priority consultations, admission and discharge support, 24×7 access to medical guidance and homecare services, emergency co-ordination and assistance.
The programme is expected to be useful for senior citizens recovering from
Orthopaedic and joint replacement surgery
Cardiac procedures
Neurological conditions
Cancer treatment
While launching the programme in Bengaluru on March 22, Health Minister of Karnataka Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “We have to prepare for a scenario of extended lifespans. And, when you live longer, at some point, you are very likely to face some or the other health-related problems. The West is already grappling with an aging population. If we do not start early, we will suddenly wake up one day and realise that we do not have the infrastructure necessary to handle the healthcare needs of our seniors. The government of Karnataka is aware of the challenges that lie ahead and is working to find solutions. And, when someone comes up with this kind of programme, it turns the spotlight on various aspects of healthcare related to senior citizens.”
Justice Krishna S. Dixit of the High Court of Karnataka, who has dealt with cases of seniors being abused by their family, made it a point to participate in the launch. “I took time off from court duties to attend this event because I believe there is a pressing need for such a service. It is our karma and our dharma to take care of our seniors.”
Unique feature is the clinical frailty scale
Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, said, “When I see our Chairman Dr Prathap C. Reddy actively participating in the running of this company at the age of 92 and his wife, my mother, organising various events even now to keep the family together, we are motivated to contribute in some way to ensure that all seniors enjoy the same quality of life. While a lot has been done for the healthcare of seniors, there is no focused effort in this direction, and that’s what this programme is all about. Seniors get lost when they try to access the healthcare system – what to do, where to go, whom to call? These are the questions that this programme aims to address by having a dedicated manager to handle such questions from seniors. A unique feature of this programme is the clinical frailty scale, which has been prepared by our team to identify the kind of care a person might require. The clinical frailty scale takes into account the fact that we have different types of seniors – ranging from the ones who are very fit to someone who is reasonably fit to a section that is in need of a lot of care, and a lot of people in between.”
Big challenge is availability of trained medical professionals
The execution of this programme will be the responsibility of Dr. Steve Paul of Apollo Hospitals at Bannerghatta Road, who has had a long association with the Indian Academy of Geriatrics. But, being the first-of-its-kind initiative for the Apollo Group, Dr. Steve expects a lot of challenges. “The biggest challenge is finding manpower trained to handle the needs of senior citizens. We need a lot of medical professionals to run this programme. At present, I am working with a small team, which I am trying to expand. I am tapping into my experience in geriatric healthcare to train the members of our dedicated team that comprises doctors, nurses and para-medics,” he told The Hindu.
According to Pew Research Center analysis (2023) of data from the UN and other sources, India was a nation of young people with the median age being 28. In comparison, during the same period, the median age in the United States was 38, and 39 in China.
At present, those below the age of 35 constitute the majority in India.
But, as fertility rate in India continues to fall, this young population is expected to constitute the majority in the years to come.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “While the seniors in India constitute around 10% of our total population today, this figure will double by 2050.”
Healthcare education will have to come up with courses and produce sufficient number of trained professionals to account for this change in demographics.
Dr K. Prasad Mathews, Senior Professor (Geriatrics) at CMC, Vellore, told The Hindu, “The number of trained professionals in geriatrics has been increasing over the years. The first specialised course (MD in geriatrics) was launched in 1996 by Madras Medical College. But, it was close to 15 years before Kochi-based Amrita School of Medicine followed suit in 2010. Then came CMC Vellore in 2011, and AIIMS-Delhi in 2012. Today, at least 20 colleges are offering this course, and the country is producing around 70 specialists every year. Healthcare for geriatrics will only grow in the coming years. Chennai has seen the launch of two hospitals dedicated to senior citizens. I see demand and supply, though demand for trained professionals is higher at this point.”
Necessity of a programme like Seniors First
The importance of a focused approach to the healthcare needs of seniors was highlighted by Dr Narasimhaiah Srinivasaiah, Colorectal Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, through a nugget on longevity. “I had been working in the West for about two decades. During my stint in the U.K., I noticed people wanting to retire in Eastbourne, a small town in the southeast. The average life span in Eastbourne is 88 (average in U.K. is 82). That was because of the phenomenal support from the district hospital, which laid emphasis on the needs of seniors…taking care of the aged….taking care closer to home…and in such a way that people aspired to retire to Eastbourne. I see the Seniors First programme as a step in that direction.”
Dr. Madhu Sasidhar, President & CEO (Hospitals division), Apollo Hospitals, highlighted that some diseases show up only in the later stages of life. “While the quality of life has improved on average for the entire population, for most people, diseases are compressed within the last two decades of their lives. For example, degenerative diseases do not occur in the younger population. They are unique to seniors. That’s where people need extra care. For one, when seniors are unwell, the recovery time is longer as compared to youngsters. We could launch something like Seniors First because we have the facilities to provide the entire spectrum of healthcare services – hospitals, pharmacies, home care and free-standing clinics – to take care of seniors in the most vulnerable period of their lives.”
Kashmira Kakwani, Senior Manager (Strategy) at Apollo Hospitals, told The Hindu, “This programme is aimed at people who are 65 or above, who account for close to 25% of our patients. This idea of Seniors First came up during our annual brainstorming session from our teams of doctors in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Our leadership team loved the idea, and chose Bengaluru to launch the Seniors First programme in view of the experience (in this field of work) of the team at Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta and the demand for such a service. A lot of working professionals have been asking how we could help them in taking care of the medical needs of their parents. Many of these working professionals have jobs that require them to either stay away from their parents or travel for work. Our vision is for our dedicated manager to be the link between the seniors, the healthcare professionals, and the children.”
Apollo team to adopt pro-active approach
Explaining how this programme aims to be different from other such services in the country, Dr. Steve said, “Children may not be aware of the health problems of their parents, especially if they live elsewhere. They may call, but may not get any idea of their failing health in phone calls, and sometimes even when they visit their parents. What we are aiming for is regular engagement with the seniors through a dedicated health manager, a pro-active approach to keep tabs on them and their healthcare needs, something that all children may not be able to do in view of their commitments to their nuclear family and their profession. Also, instead of waiting for seniors to come to us with their problems, we will visit them at home to be updated on their health status and understand their needs. This connectivity is what is unique about our programme.”
With this initiative coming from a private company, there are concerns about the affordability of this programme. The Apollo team did not share pricing details, but according to Dr. Steve, “We believe that we have a programme that will be within the reach of the middle class.”
While Seniors First was launched in Bengaluru, Apollo Hospitals intends to take the programme across India in the coming days.
Published – March 24, 2025 09:24 am IST