The person in-charge of India’s largest offline pharmacy chain is a big advocate of taking care of one’s physical and mental health. “The only way you can bring your best to work is if you first do the right thing by yourself,” says Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise. “Exercise, eat right, meditate and [have] a deep sense of gratitude,” is what she suggests. Her own advice has helped her develop Apollo Pharmacy into a network of 5,700-plus stores that generates around Rs 6,000 crore in annual revenues, and Kamineni says they are on track to add another 700-1,000 new stores across India this year.
While offline pharmacy is a well-established business, she is focussed on growing the integrated digital platform, Apollo 24/7, which offers virtual doctor consultations and online diagnostics bookings, among other services, to its 880,000 daily users. Together, they form the twin prongs of the group’s omni-channel digital health play under Apollo Healthco, which accounts for 40 per cent of the group’s consolidated revenues.
And digital is going to be a big part of its strategy. “There’s a famine of healthcare in rural India, but we’re on our way to change this with the right integrations,” she says, citing studies that show how tele-consultations could reduce the doctor requirement to one for every 1,800 patients, from the current, one for every 1,000. Looking back on the impact she has had on healthcare and corporate India, she calls it an exhilarating ride. “I feel pride at being at the helm of innovation that is truly taking healthcare to the people.”