The APCC, which is located in Chennai in India, is the first Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia and the Middle East, and is now the eighth hospital in the Apollo Hospitals Group to join the portfolio of Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals.

Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals, explained that more than 25 years ago, Apollo Hospitals noticed the growing prevalence of cancer in India, as well as a lack of oncology centres, and so set about to change that: “From the very beginning, we brought in the most advanced technologies in cancer care, and even the recent launch of South Asia and the Middle East’s first Proton Therapy at APCC reiterates our commitment to investing in the best available care for our patients.”

Commenting on the achievement, Paula Wilson, President and CEO of JCI, said: “JCI commends APCC for its commitment to meeting international quality and patient safety standards by earning JCI accreditation during the global pandemic. This achievement was possible by utilising JCI’s virtual survey process, where surveys are conducted through the use of technology.”

Preetha Reddy, Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, noted that the APCC marked a definitive step in making the advanced radiation therapy much more accessible to a population of over 3.5 million people. “Now, once again raising the bar, APCC has become the first dedicated cancer hospital in India to be accredited by JCI, the gold standard for quality. It is also the first successful Proton Therapy Centre accredited by JCI in South Asia and The Middle East. Further, this milestone was achieved despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, which underscores the APCC’s commitment to quality and advanced patient care.”

An ageing global population has seen the incidence of cancer increasing, with cancer survival rates varying between countries – often much lower in poorer countries (as detailed by Our World in Data). As the number of global citizens (or expatriates) continues to rise (check out Finnacord’s 2017 Global Expatriates: Size, Segmentation and Forecast for the Worldwide Market report for the full spiel on that), and the Asia-Pacific region continues to enjoy a boom in the demand for private health insurance, this newly-accredited facility will greatly benefit international patients in the region, and will likely be a go-to facility for provider network managers managing cases here.