British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on Tuesday said that he was hugely impressed with the standard of medical services and research provided to the people irrespective of their social condition at the super-speciality Hinduja Hospital in the city.
Clegg, who visited the over 60-year-old tertiary care hospital, which offers one of the best facilities in international healthcare in the country, was shown around the premises.
Recalling his family's association with the medical profession, Clegg later said he was happy with the 21st century medical research and services available at the hospital.
"It is like an interaction between two medical families as my grandfather too was in the medical profession," he said.
"I am hugely impressed with the hospital's commitment to making medical services available to the people irrespective of their social conditions," he said.
The British Deputy Prime Minister said Hinduja Hospital was already in collaboration with several institutes in his country and hoped the exchange would be extended to a variety of other fields.
A presentation was also made to the British leader of the hospital's healthcare initiatives.
Ashok Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group (India), told PTI that the hospital, which is also a speciality surgical facility, believes in high-value care.
"We have collaborations with several British health care insitutes and would like to extend the cooperation to fields like education and other areas," he said.
Hinduja described Clegg's visit as an excellent opportunity to build on the UK's commitment to cooperating with India for development of trade and infrastructure.
Prakash Hinduja said Clegg, accompanied by Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, had visited the hospital to understand the research and social responsibility ethos practised by it.
"The visit by Clegg and his delegates was to primarily understand the research and the social responsibility philosophy of the hospital and also boosting links between the two nations in the fields of research, education and healthcare delivery," he said.
In an effort to enhance its healthcare relationships and increase investments in life science, healthcare education and research, the delegation discussed the current healthcare scenario and opportunities with the trustees and the management team of Hinduja Hospital.
"I am delighted to be here and impressed by the work being done by P.D. Hinduja Hospital. It is great to know that the hospital is making critical medical services available to so many people keeping in mind quality and affordability. I am also impressed by the number of awards that the hospital has won and its international collaborations.
"I am glad to see that the values of the founder (P D Hinduja) are still practiced along with providing the latest technology for patient care. I hope we can facilitate more such collaborations with medical institutes in the UK," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The discussions aimed at combining the UK's leadership in the area of healthcare and life sciences and India's thriving healthcare system to promote and develop research and education in the respective countries. He said experts from both countries will be examining the possibilities of strategic collaborative research to harness the value of science and innovation.
"While India is investing a lot in the sector and is in the forefront of clinical excellence, the UK brings together the best researchers in life sciences. This collaboration would look at nurturing innovation in both countries through high-quality, high-impact research partnerships," Hinduja said.
On Clegg's visit, S P Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group, said, "The challenges India and the UK are facing in healthcare must be tackled by establishing synergies to forge a road map for sustained growth in delivery, research and education through innovation.
"With hope in our hearts we look upon this visit, as a small step towards bringing reform in policies allowing for affordable, accessible and value driven healthcare in the two countries, in turn setting a precedent for progress in global healthcare," he said.
During its 3-day visit to India, the 50-member delegation led by Clegg is meeting Indian leaders in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to explore how India and the UK can work more closely together through various partnerships.
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