Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) Celebrates First Anniversary

GURGAON, India, May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Honours Champions of Courage, Fulfills Wishes From Patients

Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), the flagship hospital of Fortis Healthcare Limited, today celebrated its first anniversary by hosting a series of patient centric activities and recognizing the grit displayed by Champions of Courage, who have battled their disease bravely and have come out as winners. This outstanding demonstration of human will is indeed a source of great inspiration to others.

To mark the occasion, patients and doctors walked the ramp in a display of fortitude and solidarity towards healing and wellness. Caregivers at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute made their best efforts to fulfill the wishes of patients, placed at a 'Wishing Well' inside the hospital premises. Among the wishes fulfilled was a wish straight from the heart for a pro bono kidney transplant surgery, complimentary preventive health checks for oncology and a bicycle for a young kid admitted at the hospital.

Amidst feelings of goodwill, the Fortis Memorial Research Institute and the Fortis Foundation adopted Bhangrola, a village situated adjacent to IMT Manesar in a low-lying area of Gurgaon, with a population of approximately 25,000. Plagued by issues such as accumulation of untreated industrial effluents and sewage from the rest of the city, resulting in severe contamination of its ground water and massive sewage pools which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Fortis Memorial Research Institute and the Fortis Foundation have pledged to provide basic medical amenities to the village inhabitants. The Sarpanch, Nirmala Devi was present at the Anniversary Celebrations.

In their message, Mr. Malvinder Mohan Singh and Mr. Shivinder Mohan Singh, Executive Chairman and Executive Vice Chairman, Fortis Healthcare Limited, said "In its first year of service, FMRI has distinguished itself as a prominent landmark for medical care in Asia and beyond. Many patients have walked in through its portals and have been successfully treated for their complex diseases across its multiple super-specialities. Our journey in the last year has been immensely gratifying and we would like to extend our success by raising the bar for medical care in the country across all our hospitals."

Patients who were felicitated as champions of courage included: Askar from Kazakhstan who suffered from a severe form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta or Brittle Bone Disease, suffering a fracture a week; children brought and treated under Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) and Being Human - the Salman Khan Foundation; Nasreen, who arrived at FMRI in January last year with extreme blood loss post pregnancy; Baby Roona who made news with a head size triple the size of normal babies; Master Illyas who battled cancer and Anand Aggarwal who suffered three bullet injuries and came to FMRI post a hospital infection acquired elsewhere, due to poor post-operative care.

Dr. Dilpreet Brar, Regional Director, FMRI, said, "In the last year, our clinicians have worked hard in setting and improving upon international benchmarks in clinical diagnosis, interventions and treatment outcomes. The expert teams of doctors and nurses at FMRI have had many successes with rare cases including that of Baby Roona, the child of a labourer from Tripura who was treated for hydrocephalus, which had caused her head to swell to an unprecedented 94 cm. Her condition was deftly managed through multiple surgeries that lasted several months and resulted in the circumference of her head being brought down to a near normal 58 cm at the time of her discharge."

Among its medical successes, the hospital has a state of the art ECMO (Heart Lung Machine) program and was the first to report Laparoscopic removal of a foreign body from the liver. FMRI is the first hospital in India to start TCR alpha-beta depleted Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplant Therapy, a new technique effective in cases of mismatched related donors and recipients.

Elaborating on key plans for FMRI in the year ahead, Dr. Brar added, "We have recently received a formal go ahead for heart, lung and liver transplant operations at the hospital and expect to make a mark in this arena, in the year ahead. We will be starting a Children's Hospital at FMRI to deliver comprehensive and specialized paediatric care in cheerful surroundings."

The hospital is considering more advanced treatments for cancer care such as proton therapy and non-invasive surgery through robotics. It is also starting an in-patient service for Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences in our endeavor to offer the best available medical options, technologies and care for patients.

Along with a focus on clinical outcomes, FMRI has also shared medical knowledge, enhanced awareness and deepened its community connect to improve their understanding of health issues and preventive care. FMRI successfully introduced the novel concept of Sunday Conversations, where clinicians and consumers interact lightheartedly on matters of health over a cup of tea. This concept has received excellent response and has helped in bringing patients closer to its clinicians. Some of the other initiatives include a Seniors First Programme, with privileges and priorities in service being accorded to the elders, a Neighbourhood Loyalty Card, the launch of Gurgaon's first Heart Helpline. The hospital has adopted an out-of-the-box outlook towards innovation that will make a substantial difference to the way healthcare is delivered and accessed.

Continuing community initiatives by FMRI include The Little Hearts Program to treat children suffering from congenital heart defects. This program has been developed in conjunction with The Fortis Foundation and Being Human-The Salman Khan Foundation. Notable among some of the other community programs is the Nanhi Chhaan initiative in joint cooperation with the Nanhi Chaan Foundation and the Fortis Foundation to protect the Girl Child and save the environment.

In its bid to fulfill its obligations as a flag bearer and harbinger of the best medical care in the region, FMRI has served over seven lakh patients of whom 40% were from overseas and performed close to 10,000 successful surgeries in its first year of operation.

About Fortis Memorial Research Institute

Fortis Memorial Research Institute is the flagship hospital of Fortis Healthcare Limited. It is a multi-super speciality, quaternary care hospital with a comprehensive team of clinicians and patient care programmes, supported by advanced technology and medical research solutions. 

Set on a spacious campus with a potential bed capacity of 1,000 beds, this ultra-modern facility utilises and showcases some of the latest technologies in use in world class health care. Some of the milestone technologies at the hospital include amongst the first pilot project for precision radio-surgery in the world, integrated operating and procedure rooms, digitized critical care cubicles, advanced cath-labs, transplant rooms, endoscopy suites, private birthing centres, a state-of-the-art radiation wing and a stem cell lab to name a few facilities. A range of thoughtful services and health facilities for patients and their attending family include a swimming pool for hydrotherapy, a fully equipped gymnasium and spa for health and wellness, several Art ‘n’ Health programmes to recuperate, a mini theatre to de-stress, retail therapy outlets for immediate needs and a food court providing a choice of dining options to replenish energies. 

About Fortis Healthcare Limited

Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India. The healthcare verticals of the company primarily comprise hospitals, diagnostics and day care speciality. Currently, the company operates its healthcare delivery services in India, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka with 66 healthcare facilities (including projects under development), over 10,000 potential beds, over 240 diagnostic centres and a team strength of more than 17,000 people.

For further information, please contact:

Fortis Healthcare Limited

Nibha Bhandari Vyas, 9811065557, [email protected] 

Prerna Arun, 9873349022, [email protected]

MSL Group

Heena Kapoor, 9811463710, [email protected]

Rukmini Baxi, 8373946137, [email protected]

Media Contact : Raghu Kochar, [email protected], 9811617256, Fortis Healthcare