Ms Upasana Kamineni is the eldest daughter of Mr Anil and Shobana Kamineni and the granddaughter of Padmavibhushan Dr Prathap C Reddy, Founder-Chairman of ApolloHospitals. Barely in her mid-20s, as the Executive Director of Apollo Life – a wellness company – Ms Upasana strives to ensure that school children and the leaders of corporate India maintain robust health and are fighting fit.
At the age of 15, she established U Xchange — a service to recycle books and notebooks for distribution amongst poor children. In and out of wards, she spends a large part of her working day with children who are being treated at the Apollo Health City, Hyderabad.
Her concern for society is manifest in many ways, including an association with the Blue Cross that has brought the cause of animals close to her heart. She maintains an animal farm at her home in Hyderabad – which already houses four rescued tonga horses, eight donkeys and four abused cows saved from imminent slaughter, besides others.
On the professional front, Ms Upasana has moved seamlessly into the mentor’s role at Apollo Philanthropy – her brainchild. Surrounded by an illustrious family of healthcare visionaries, she has nonetheless carved her own niche in the healthcare firmament by spearheading the Apollo Hospitals Group’s philanthropic initiatives for disadvantaged sections of society.
Says Ms Kamineni, “The Apollo Hospitals Group is in the vanguard of healthcare not only in Asia but worldwide too. In this leadership position, we need to set an example by giving back to society. With this in mind, I decided to set up Apollo Philanthropy as an umbrella foundation with the central spokes acting to provide awareness, wellness and help to the needy.”
Over the past six years, Apollo Philanthropy has metamorphosed into a major player providing prompt and invaluable assistance in natural disasters as well as working for the wellbeing of poorer sections of society. The prominent entities among these are:
· Save A Child’s Heart Foundation Initiative (SACHi) .
· CURE foundation
· Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI)
· Distance Healthcare Advancement Project (DISHA)
Ms Upasana recently launched Apollo M.I.N.D.Line, a tele-counselling helpline service (an Apollo Life initiative), which offers guidance and extends support to individuals of all ages in finding the right solutions to all their emotional and psychological problems. The helpline is designed to maintain the comprehensive mental wellbeing of people. It promotes Apollo Life’s endeavour to help people live healthier, richer, more productive and complete lives.
A graduate from London’s Regents College, Ms Upasana’s endeavours contribute to Apollo Hospitals’ mission of touching a billion lives in a country that needs better healthcare facilities on a macro scale. What Ms Upasana has built within a short span of time away from the public eye is truly commendable.
