By Prashant K. Nanda
IANS
New Delhi : After a cold war of almost 20 months, noted cardiologist Naresh Trehan might have given up his plum post of executive director at Escorts Hospital for a "better destination" called Apollo Hospitals, but it's just a stopgap arrangement.
Trehan may not open his mouth about his tenure and post at Apollo Hospitals but his associates say it's a temporary move for 18 months.
"All the doctors moving out of Escorts, including Trehan, will work in Apollo for just 18 months," said R.R. Kasliwal, who resigned from the post of director, invasive cardiology at Escorts hospital Thursday.
"The Global Institute of Medicare will become functional in 18 months and we all will move to that hospital," Kasliwal told IANS.
So far known as Trehan's Medicity project, the multi-speciality hospital will be known as the Global Institute of Medicare.
The Rs.10 billion hospital is coming up in Gurgaon on the outskirts of the Indian capital. The healthcare hub, on the lines of Dubai Health City, is expected to be the largest such healthcare centre in South Asia.
It would be a multi-disciplinary institution with training institutes, an R&D centre and offering both alternative and modern therapy.
Sources close to Trehan said all the doctors and paramedics leaving Escorts would work as an independent unit at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here.
"No, we are not going to work under any cardiologist at Apollo. We will function as an independent unit and, of course, give the best possible service to patients and the hospital," said a senior doctor who is set to join Apollo next week.
"We will all be working in the capacity of consultants. Neither have we bargained for big positions like head of cardiology or director of paediatric cardiology nor do we need them," he said hinting at an early departure from Apollo.
On Thursday, 10 Escorts doctors, including Kasliwal, and 12 paramedics loyal to Trehan left the hospital to join Apollo. The development took place after Trehan and senior doctor Yatin Mehta quit the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) to join hands with Apollo Hospitals chairman Prathap C. Reddy.
Reddy had said Wednesday: "Dr. Trehan will join along with his team. The number is not specific. In a developing situation, a lot of doctors are expected to join us and we welcome them all."
On May 18, Fortis Healthcare that had acquired 90 percent stake of Escorts in September 2005 had sacked Trehan for "conflict of interest". However, after a lot of negotiations, Trehan was reinstated as executive director of the hospital May 26 – only to quit four days later.
Meanwhile, sources at Fortis Healthcare said Trehan has sold his 10 percent share to "a friend of the Ranbaxy family for not less than Rs.650 million".