Apollo, the largest private healthcare provider in India, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US-based John Hopkins Medicine for developing partnership in healthcare sector.

They will jointly develop state of the art concepts, technology, tests and operating systems in healthcare services, clinical research and medical education, said a statement by Apollo here Monday.

Pratap C. Reddy, chairperson of the Apollo Hospitals Group, and Steven J. Thompson, CEO of John Hopkins Medicine International, at Baltimore, Maryland signed the MoU.

The areas of collaboration include continuing medical education (CME) programmes, nurse education, telemedicine, second opinion services, partnerships with clinical departments and participation in clinical trials.

In areas like telemedicine, Apollo Foundation's telemedicine sites will be able to offer opinion of John Hopkins Medicine's medical specialists through teleconsultation and route second opinion requests to specialists in US.

Clinical trials will be conducted according to international standards and protocols to explore cost effective alternatives for providing better patient care, said the statement.

Definitive agreements with financial frameworks will be discussed and concluded in the next 90 days.

Founded in 1983, Apollo Hospitals are present in several Indian cities, as well as in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Ghana, Nigeria, Britain and Saudi Arabia.

John Hopkins Medicine International works with international patients, physicians and institutions. Its hospital was recently named the best hospital in the United States for the 15th consecutive year.