Apollo Hospitals Builds a First-of-Its-Kind 'Stroke Awareness Corridor' in Chennai

Apollo Hospitals Chennai has taken an unusually bold approach to public health communication by turning a busy stretch in Chetpet into a continuous, five-hoarding “Stroke Awareness Corridor.” Instead of scattered outdoor ads, the hospital aligned hoardings owned by different agencies and converted them into one long, uninterrupted storyline about recognising a stroke and getting help fast.The corridor’s messaging is deliberately simple and urgent. It reminds commuters that in a stroke, “nearly 1,90,000 brain cells die every minute” and that the only real defence is speed. The visuals also spotlight Apollo’s stroke infrastructure over 5,000 stroke treatments, nine neuro cath labs and zero-wait pathways across its Chennai network.

A senior member from the team behind the campaign said the idea was designed to “bring multiple hoardings together to create one compelling visual that builds awareness at scale.” The goal was not just brand visibility, but a public nudge toward faster action during emergencies.The corridor also feeds into Apollo Hospitals’ broader push to educate the city social media outreach, patient stories, stroke conclaves and digital OOH across Chennai. These efforts target a growing health risk. Stroke cases are rising globally, with 13 million incidents each year. Chennai alone sees close to 10,000 cases annually, and the condition is appearing more frequently among younger people.

According to health experts at Apollo, “every minute counts during a stroke, and people need to know where expert care is accessible without delay.” The new corridor aims to plant that message firmly in the minds of daily commuters, making rapid response a habit rather than an afterthought.As the city’s risk factors climb, initiatives like this try to bridge the gap between awareness and action because in stroke care, knowing what to do can be the difference between life, disability, and recovery.