'Traffic jams pose hurdle to medical care in Bengaluru'

The city's medical landscape is dominated by opportunities, and traffic jams which sometimes dictate the quality of care that people have access to, said Dr Azad Moopen, the billionaire founder-chairman of Aster Healthcare.

"The peculiarity of Bengaluru as a state capital is its dual nature," he said. "On the one hand, it enjoys a concentration of healthcare facilities and has a good population, making it an attractive location to introduce cutting-edge healthcare. On the other hand, it has crippling traffic congestion."

He said traffic jams could be seen as an inherent hurdle to people seeking access to healthcare. "Traffic congestion limits the movement of people, and with it, access to good hospitals. In this situation, quality-care hospitals are required in every urban district," he added.

The newest branch of Aster hospital, the 13th such facility in the country, was inaugurated in JP Nagar on Sunday. It has 250 beds, a robotic surgery system and cost Rs 250 crore to set up. While Aster has an existing hospital in Hebbal, Dr Moopen said the new unit would help address medical needs of southern Bengaluru.

According to Dr Nitish Shetty, CEO, Aster Hospitals and Clinics, the number of people in need of care was high. "Our data shows a high number of people in the city suffering from communicable diseases such as dengue, followed by lifestyle illnesses like hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular complications and diabetes," he said, also blaming traffic congestion for creating health hazards through increased air pollution.