Sudhir Diggikar, CEO, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd

The rising awareness amongst the customers has provided an impetus to the healthcare services. In an interview with the Franchise India Holdings Pvt. Ltd, Sudhir Diggikar, CEO, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd shares the success of The Apollo Clinic.   

Ramanjit Kaur (RK): How has franchising helped you in expansion? 

Sudhir Diggikar (SD): Franchising has helped us gain knowledge about the target audience of every region. The franchising route has also helped us expand our network extensively in a lesser time span.                     

                   
RK: What practices and initiatives have you introduced in The Apollo Clinic?

SD: We are constantly working on innovative ideas for customer satisfaction. We have designed and launched Disease Management Program for diabetic and cardiac problems. The Disease Management Program serves as a one-stop activity for catering to the patients suffering from diabetic and heart ailments.  

RK: What is the eligibility criterion for taking the franchise of your company?

SD: Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited selects its prospective franchisees with utmost care. We prefer franchisees that have prior experience in managing a business, have a good social standing, adequate financial resources, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit to succeed. Individuals seeking quick returns or productive utilisation of their vacant space or building are not necessarily the right candidates. 

RK: How many franchisees do you have and in which all cities?

SD: We have more than hundred franchisees in the states of Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka etc. Around 50 of our clinics have already commenced operations in Mumbai, Patna, Surat, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Varanasi, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Jamshedpur, Siliguri, Surat, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Guwahati, Jaipur etc.   

RK: What are the challenges that can be faced by a franchisee in this business? How can they overcome these challenges?

SD: Healthcare though is a ‘recession proof industry’. It has many challenges such as scarcity of trained manpower, employee retention, and unorganised players also pose major challenges in the growth. Therefore, we have developed and designed in-house training program wherein we train the employees on latest developments and practices in the healthcare sector. We also focus on maintaining international standards in all our laboratories to provide best services. 

RK: What are the company’s future plans in terms of expansion through franchising?

SD: Till date we have been working through franchising model. We plan to open 250 Apollo Clinics in next 3 years. 

RK: Share with us any new venture that your company has entered into?

SD: We have ventured into a new concept called “The Cradle”. The Cradle is a Boutique Birthing Centre. Presently we have two cradles in Bengaluru and Gurgaon.