As India faces a rising tide of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer and diabetes, Apollo Hospitals has unveiled a comprehensive expansion plan involving a ₹6,000 crore investment over five years. The initiative aims to add 3,512 hospital beds in key urban centers, concentrating on high-demand specialties such as oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, orthopedics, and gastroenterology.
Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director at Apollo Hospitals, shared that the group is undertaking a two-phase growth strategy designed to address India’s pressing need for healthcare infrastructure. “We are committed to strengthening our Centres of Excellence in high-burden specialties and expanding our footprint,” she said. The additional beds will be established through greenfield projects, brownfield developments, and asset acquisitions.
Expansion Phases
- Phase One (Completion by FY26):
- Investment: ₹2,880 crore
- Number of beds: 1,737
- Locations: Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Gurgaon
- Phase Two (To be implemented over the next 3–4 years):
- Investment: ₹3,220 crore
- Number of beds: 1,775
- Locations: Chennai, Varanasi, Mumbai, and Lucknow
While the focus remains on major metro cities, Apollo also intends to scale up operations in select tier-2 cities across India to increase accessibility.
Following the announcement, Apollo Hospitals’ shares closed 1.15% higher at ₹6,755.90 on April 8 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Apollo’s Health of the Nation 2025 Report
Alongside its expansion efforts, Apollo Hospitals has released its Health of the Nation 2025 report, shedding light on the silent but growing epidemic of chronic illnesses in India. The report reveals that a significant number of individuals are living with NCDs without experiencing visible symptoms.
From a screening of 2.5 million people, approximately 27% were found with three or more major risk factors: elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, high body mass index (BMI), and low levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol). This clustering of risk factors points to an increased vulnerability to long-term health complications.
The findings emphasize the growing burden of NCDs in the country. According to the World Health Organization, NCDs account for 74% of global deaths and are responsible for 63% of all deaths in India.
Additional Insights from Apollo’s Nationwide Screenings:
Among 257,199 asymptomatic individuals:
- 65% showed early signs of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- 26% had undiagnosed hypertension
- 23% were newly diagnosed with diabetes
Apollo also screened 285,000 students across ten cities in six states, uncovering alarming trends in youth health:
- Childhood obesity rose from 8% in primary school students to 28% in college students
- 9% of high schoolers and 19% of college students were found to be pre-hypertensive
- 2% of college students showed elevated blood glucose levels, indicating early diabetes
“These findings highlight an urgent need for preventive health initiatives in schools, including regular checkups, lifestyle education, and structured health programs from an early age,” said Reddy.
Apollo plans to collaborate with government agencies to share these insights and push for nationwide NCD screening programs. The goal is to promote early diagnosis, better prevention, and effective management of chronic diseases across India, ultimately improving public health outcomes.
