Macedonia's Government and eminent India's hospital chain Apollo have signed a memo of understanding (MoU) in the sphere of medicine.

The MoU, signed by Macedonia's Ambassador to India Toni Atanasovski and Apollo Hospitals Group, Southern Region, CEO Anne Marie Moncure, provides for observerships and training courses for medical specialists, nurses, technicians and other health professionals from Macedonia at various locations across the Apollo Hospitals network in India.

Further the agreement involves the numerous tertiary specialties including - Internal medicine, Surgery, Cardio surgery, Thoracic surgery, Vascular surgery, Cardiology, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Anesthesiology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic surgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, Neurology, Dermatology & venereal diseases, Radiology, Radiotherapy, Urology, Plastic surgery, Nuclear medicine, Robotics and Transplant.

“We have a special relationship with the Republic of Macedonia and have crafted this partnership to bring the benefits of Apollo’s healthcare model to them. The purpose behind this union is to provide quality education, training, and development to healthcare workers of the Republic of Macedonia. We also plan to launch Telemedicine services that will help physicians and patients living in Macedonia. We thank the Government of Macedonia for giving this unique opportunity to collaborate on a range of subjects.” said Moncure at the signing ceremony.

This year two groups of Macedonian doctors will attend a two/three - month training course in India, Government spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgiev said on Tuesday.

Apollo Hospitals is an Indian hospital chain based in Chennai, India. It was founded by Dr Prathap C. Reddy in 1983. For about three decades, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. The Apollo hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.

The procedures for signing the MoU commenced during the visit of Macedonia's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to India this January. The cooperation with Apollo Hospitals Group is part of the Government's project for training of Macedonian doctors abroad in favor of advancing the capacities of the country's health care system. Thus far over 1,000 doctors have been sent to advanced training in medical centers across the globe.