By IANS
New Delhi : Leading cardiologist Naresh Trehan, who had a fracas with the new management at the Escorts hospital, Wednesday resigned as it executive director to join the Apollo Hospitals, which made an open offer to all his colleagues.
"We are welcoming Dr. Naresh Trehan to the Apollo Hospitals' family. Any doctor of Escorts is free to join us. The offer is open," Apollo Hospitals chairman Prathap C. Reddy said.
Trehan resigned from the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) and will completely disengage himself from the hospital from June 1.
Asked how many doctors are joining his hospital along with Trehan, Reddy said: "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."
He said Apollo would take cardio-thoracic surgery to a higher level and make it affordable to more and more people.
Trehan said: "You were aware of what I have been through and don't want to revisit the last 10 days. Its time to disassociate with Escorts."
He was referring to the decision of May 18 of Fortis Healthcare, which took over the management of the Escorts hospital last year, to sack him from the post. The two sides had later arrived at an out-of-court settlement Saturday.
Though Trehan did not spell out the names of several leading doctors who will join Apollo, he said: "My doctors and support staff will join immediately. Dr. Yatin Mehta, who was the head of critical care at Escorts has already joined Apollo."
"It's an evolving situation and a lot of doctors wish to join Apollo. Though I would not like to specify, a huge number of doctors will join soon," he said.
Sources close to the doctor said that at least 40 odd doctors would leave Escorts soon.
"My doctors and our teams are delighted that Dr. Reddy of Apollo Hospitals has invited us to join hands in forging a partnership. Therefore, our dedication to our patients will remain the same and we will be able to continue to treat and care for them in Apollo," the doctor said.
Underlining that he has already ended the "emotional attachment with Escorts", Trehan said he and Mehta will start working at Apollo from June 4.
"All the patients who were under my treatment will get care from other doctors of Escorts," he said.
Sudarshan Majumdar, marketing head of Fortis Healthcare, said: "Naresh Trehan has resigned and will no more be a part of Escorts from June 1."
"It is a decision by both Trehan and the management. However, his 10 percent share in the hospital stands as it is," Majumdar told IANS.
Shivinder Mohan Singh, managing director of EHIRC and Fortis Healthcare, while accepting the resignation acknowledged that Trehan has left a "strong legacy and foundation that will continue to be built upon".