Stricter quality control of medical products, reform of medical and nursing education, mandatory Continuing Medical Education (CME) for practising doctors and a pragmatic approach towards informal practitioners are among the most urgent steps India must take to strengthen patient safety, according to Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals. Ms. Reddy also flagged the absence of mandatory CME for doctors who qualified decades ago and continue to practise. She said that ‘introducing compulsory CME would significantly elevate standards of care and ensure that practitioners remain updated with current protocols and advances’. On Telangana’s efforts to position itself as a medical innovation and medical tourism hub, Ms. Reddy said infrastructure investment by large hospital groups is already in place. “Small but thoughtful differentiators could give Hyderabad an edge over established medical tourism centres such as Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, which currently attract higher patient volumes,” she added.

Source: The Hindu January 31, 2026 16:02 UTC