René Seifert – Entrepreneur & Global Citizen

What I experienced yesterday at Apollo Koramangala Clinic is the best what India has to offer, one of those increasing experiences I have labelled “NCA”: neat – clean – affordable.

As I haven’t been to the doctor for a few years (luckily I didn’t have to, apart from the medicals for my pilot license), I decided to do a full check-up. From a positively perceived reputation for the owner Apollo in combination with googling, I found the package “comprehensive health check-up”. I showed up yesterday morning at 9 am, had fasted for the first blood test, went for ECG, lung volume check, breast X-Ray, ultrasound scan of liver, stomach and kidneys by a radiologist and got some yummy Idli with Sambar as South Indian breakfast. After a little break I proceeded to the urologist (the examination was harmless :-), physiotherapist and to the second blood test (now with the metabolism at work after breakfast). Went back to the office at 12.30 pm.

Came back for the second round in the late afternoon at 5.30 pm, the test results were already prepared, got called to the consultation with the general physician who did a thorough anamneses, looked over my lab-values: so far ok, just cholesterol marginally elevated. (No wonder after the sins of Christmas overeating like lately in Awtar, Dubai.) Next was the cardiologist with the Doppler-Test for bloodstream around the heart, EKG in quiet position as well as on the treadmill. For the final I spoke to the dietician on nutrition advice, went out and home at 7.15 p.m.

Besides of all the details and steps I underwent, I found the clinic very well organized, I got regularly communicated where I was in the process and what was next for me to be expected. Two doctors whom I kept in particularly good memory: the general physician Dr. Prethi and the cardiologist Dr. Nagami, two ladies who were extremely knowledgeable, also from the scientific standpoint of their profession, very focussed on the issue as well as its follow-up and at the same time approachable by answering patiently each of my annoying “I want to know it all”-questions and not lacking some warm sublime Indian humour.

If you come from Germany like I do, then medicine doesn’t have a price tag. This is very unfortunate because you end up paying much more anyway though mandatory contributions to an inflated apparatus of public health. Of course I am privately health insured which jumps in soon as the cost of treatment is above a certain threshold. Since then, I started to look at the cost of medicine as a service and develop a certain sensitivity to price. From the perspective of a for-profit organization like Apollo Clinic it means that my payment must not only cover their cost, but also yield some reasonable margin.

And? And? What do you guess did this whole health check-up cost (payable up-front in cash or via credit card)? I found that completely unbelievable: Rs. 5,350 which corresponds at the current exchange rate EUR 79 (seventy nine only). I am sure had I done the same in Germany, I would have paid at least 15 times the amount and I wouldn’t expect treatment to be any better.

My summary for Apollo’s Koramangala Clinic: Outstanding quality, high competence, very well run, with lot of care for the detail (e.g. smoothing music concept in the building) and no frills (who needs them, I am not in a spa) taken together allows for such a price which is even for Indian standards reasonable. Comparison: You can easily blow that money at wining & dinner for two in one of Bangalore’s high-flying restaurants.

The only thing where I believe the clinic could improve is the first point of contact on the phone: Yes, friendly, answering every question, but this exactly can fall short when I don’t even know what to actually ask. So a bit more of “consultative sales” from the supplier’s perspective would provide the entire picture of what is to come and certainly thereby increase the “conversion rate” of customers taking a positive decision to show-up.

Many companies not just in India, but all over could take an example for such a well executed concept of “NCA”.