Dr Reddy points out that the best treatment automatically brings down costs because the convalescent period in hospital is less. A bypass operation that costs between US$ 25,000 to 40,000 in any western country can be done at the Apollo Hospitals within USS 3,500. The point is underscored by the fact that Apollo Hospitals had only a 1.4% mortality rate despite conducting 17,500 open heart surgeries at its hospitals in India, last year. The hospital infection rate has been brought down to a negligible 0.4% last year, which is considered a better rate than most other hospitals in the world. Such work ethics have made the Indian Hospitals Corporation Ltd. (HCL), which is at the nucleus of the Apollo Hospitals, one of the largest and fastest growing hospital groups in Asia. The IHCL networks the entire group of Apollo Hospitals ensuring that they all maintain uniform standards of excellence. The group has over 1,075 hospital beds and more that 20 hospital projects at various stages of implementation.