Dr Ravindranath Kancherla, founder of the Global Hospitals Group, has announced that he will pledge 70% of his wealth, which is more than Rs 350 crore, to build a not-for-profit medical education, research and innovation institute in Hyderabad.

The gastroenterologist, aged 65, plans to set up a medical university and hospital which will be called Global HealthTech University & Innovation Hub (GHUIH). The focus will be on multidisciplinary research and innovation.

The medical university is expected to have a 750-1,000 bed hospital, and the innovation hub would need an investment of more than $100 million over a 7-year period. Dr Kancherla’s contribution can take care of 50% of the capital requirements of the ambitious project. The rest of the amount will be contributed by his friends from the medical, pharmaceutical and technology fields.

Dr Kancherla said that GHUIH, first-of-its-kind in the country, will be established with the aim to provide a new model for sustainable development of medical infrastructure. His younger brother, Dr Ramesh Kancherla, said that work on the building will likely start by the end of this year.

Dr Ravindranath has played a vital role in establishing multi-organ transplant programs, including liver, heart, lungs, kidney and pancreases, in the country and played a key role in popularizing minimal access surgery in India.

Source: ET Healthworld