In a candid conversation with Insights Success, ,Dr. Gerd Mueller, Co-founder and Director of AktivHealth gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by the company to take wellness industry to next level.
- Kindly brief us about your company and what kind of wellness programs does the company provide to their customers.
AktivHealth (formerly known as AktivOrtho) is India’s first-of-its-kind chain of advanced Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation clinics for providing comprehensive orthopaedic (aktivortho), neurological (aktivneuro), gynaecological (aktivwomen) and geriatric (aktivseniors) rehabilitative physical therapy, as well as for sports medicine, pain management, preventive healthcare, medical training therapy (MTT) and weight management solutions.
Founded by a leading German orthopaedic surgeon and Rehabilitation expert, Dr. Gerd Mueller, MD, AktivHealth focuses on the non-invasive treatment and prevention of all types of acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems, neurological and associated disorders, and functional impairments. Our ideology is that in most cases body has necessary resources to address the challenges it faces and wherever possible one must try to conservatively manage problems, instead of surgical interventions, many of which are premature.
With our state-of-the-art, German-designed rehabilitation equipment, modern medical technology, combined with our experienced team of specialized medical professionals led by Dr. Mueller, we are committed to providing our patients with European standard medical care, personalized one-to-one treatment and leading expertise in the field of non-surgical treatment.
- Tell us something about the CEO/founder/MD of the company?
Dr. Gerd Mueller, Co-founder and Director of AktivHealth, is passionately committed to raising the bar in India in the field of orthopaedic-neurology rehabilitation, sports medicine and medical training therapy (MTT). As a renowned European orthopaedic specialist with several established centres Germany, Dr. Mueller’s goal is to apply the best of European standards, expertise and experience to the field of Indian orthopaedic rehabilitation.
Dr. Mueller has been trained as an orthopaedic surgeon; in addition to which, he gained certified specialization in manual therapy and sports medicine. After his orthopaedic training, he was appointed as the Deputy Chairman of Hamburg’s largest orthopaedic hospital. After 15 years of surgical orthopaedic specialization, including spine surgery (discectomies, spinal decompressions, fusions), arthroscopies (knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle) and joint replacements, Dr. Mueller identified an increasingly prevalent need for effective rehabilitation and pain management and since then has devoted himself to the non-invasive treatment of orthopaedic ailments.
Dr. Mueller has also served as a Vice – Chairman of the Management Committee of the European Commission (2000-2005) tasked with providing guidelines intended to develop a realistic approach to improving the treatment of back pain in Europe. He also chaired the European Commission Committee (“Prevention of Back Pain”) and served as a founding member of the Federal Work Group “Management of chronic back pain” in Germany (2001-2006).
Dr. Mueller has co-edited the German Textbook, “The Lumbar Spine” in 2004 and has also authored a number of research papers related to sports medicine and the management of lower back and neck pain.
- How has wellness programs proven to be an excellent way to ‘change’ and lifestyle enhancement of people?
Dr. Mueller brought the approach of combining both active and passive therapy enabling people to function better in their daily lives. Thus, with the expertise of hands-on/ manual therapy, our trained therapist encourage the clients to be independent and have a better quality of life.
We now have the ability to provide the same quality of care at our centres in NCR and virtually to people all over the world
Our centre not only deals in pre and post-surgical musculoskeletal rehabilitation but also physiotherapy for neurological issues ( Stroke/ Parkinson’s, etc), developmental delays in children, sports medicine and performance enhancement, prevention of osteoporosis, wellness incorporates reducing the loss of days due to muscular & bone pains and aches etc.
We have other specialised diagnostics & treatments like Neuro equilibrium to help people with balance issues. We do customized insoles with the best of German material.
Dr Mueller is also the country license holder for the German nutrition program- Metabolic Balance in India. This Haward award-winning program is running successfully in 38 countries around the world with over 8 million happy clients. This program not only helps clients to manage weight but helps in correcting and managing their metabolic balance disorders.
- What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in this sector and how are you dealing with them?
This sector has huge opportunities as this is less explored in our community. People are yet to realize the importance of how manual therapy can help them reduce pains and aches and improve quality of life. As they become aware of this and how it helps them become more active, how can they help their loved ones who have suffered some severe medical adversities such as Multiple sclerosis etc lead a good and independent life- they will give this sector more value.
Thanks to the success in AktivHealth, other entrepreneurs and medical professionals are seeing the opportunity and have launched similar chains. We are happy to operate in this ecosystem where patient awareness and higher quality of treatment helps the patients, the therapists, the medical profession and the educational institutions helping to provide the right talent.
Finding highly qualified committed and skilled therapist will always remain a challenge and hence AktivHealth has created a unique training program spread over the years to enhance skills and knowledge of its associates. Our associates and therapists are the gold standard in this industry and we are proud to have them work with
- What steps do you take to increase your client bookings and retentions? Kindly brief us about the most satisfactory experience with a client.
Our services and one on one client care is our USP. Our team of doctors and therapists make sure that the best treatment is delivered to our clients and help them be independent and active as soon as possible. Understanding our client’s concerns and customizing their medical treatment plans according to their specific medical issues is what makes our clients stay with us for long. With individualized care and attention, we get the benefit of our client referrals of their friends and family. We have become a trusted name when it comes to advanced physiotherapy. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study, our customer retention was 25x the industry average as a result of our highly patient-centric treatment and excellent long term results
- What are the benefits gained by your clients through your membership?
The best thing our clients have gained with us is good health and an active lifestyle. We put in the best of our endeavours to make our clients satisfied and pain-free. We help them achieve their health goals. Not only this we help them prevent a myriad of diseases with our specialised Medical training therapy and our individualised nutrition program.
- What is the USP of your company?
A combination of active and passive treatment under the care of specialized doctors and therapists to help people be relieved of pains and lead an active lifestyle. The one on one care and multiple lines of treatment working synergistically under one roof is our USP.
- What can be expected from your company in the upcoming years? Brief us about the future vision of the company.
AktivHealth has established a strong name in the advanced physiotherapy sector and has proven its mettle. We already have 7 centres in Delhi & NCR and have grown well in the past 8 years. We plan to expand our lines of services within our centres and also have plans to grow throughout India. We already have a great inhouse treatment setup and are also bringing in India the concept of online physiotherapy. In coming times we will make changes for the betterment and will try to be responsive to the changing workforce and health demands.
