Indian Health Care Thread

[zhiemi]

Apollo, Lupin unveil disease management plan

Apollo Hospitals Group has joined hands with Lupin Limited, a leading pharma major, to create the first Disease Management Programme (DMP) for Bronchial Asthma and COPD (Chronic Bronchitis) in the name of Apollo's 'BreatheEasy Clinic' RPT 'BreatheEasy Clinic.'

Apollo Hospitals CEO George Eapen said in a release in Chennai on Tuesday that this new concept of DMP would revolutionalise doctor-patent relationship and empower the patient enormously.

"We have taken the first step in transforming the way Lung airway diseases - Asthma and COPD - is treated in India", he said.

Quoting PricewaterhouseCoopers recent findings, George said DMP,apart from immunization and wellness, was going to be one of the important element, which would create "360 degree turn in healthcare."

Apollo Hospital General Manager Preetish Toraskar said approximately, one in every 12 asthamatic patients in the world is an Indian.

About 50 per cent of school absenteeism and about one third of the work absenteeism was all related to asthma, he said adding about 50 per cent of asthmatic hosplitalisation and emergency visits can be prevented by patient education and awareness. "Surprisingly, only two percent of asthmatics have a 'Peak Flow Meter, a key home diagnostic tool for any patient", he added.

Under the DMP, this important tool will be given free of cost to each enrolling patient, he said.

Preetish said this joint venture by Apollo Hospitals and Lupin would open 40 clinic centres over a period of four years in not only metropolitan cities, but also tier two and three cities too.

[phaedrus]

IDBI Fortis plans 100 branches by March

IDBI Fortis Life Insurance Co Ltd, which on Tuesday kick-started its expansion drive in the North with the inauguration of its first branch at Gurgaon, plans to have 100 branches across the country, including 28 more in the North, by the end of this fiscal. The company, which is a recently-launched joint venture of IDBI Bank, Federal Bank and Fortis, Europe’s banking and insurance giant, already has 30 branches across India.
Talking about the innovative products of IDBI Fortis, G V Nageswara Rao, MD & CEO, IDBI Fortis Life Insurance, said that Wealthsurance is one such product that helps consumers create wealth with protection.
“Wealthsurance is a unique combination that aims to provide people with protected growth. The product is designed to ensure that the hard-earned money that is invested is not susceptible to unforeseen circumstances. The plan has a multitude of investment options, tailor-made to suit the changing Indian consumer today," he said.
According to him, Wealthsurance is a first-of-its-kind combination of comprehensive investment choices, protected by powerful insurance options, all presented with a reasonable charge structure, making it a one-stop solution to a customer’s wealth building plans.
Filip Coremans, CFO, IDBI Fortis Life Insurance, said: “It is exciting for Fortis to be in one of the fastest- growing insurance markets in the world. The focus is now to expand our tied agency network to cater to this huge country with so many different languages and dialects, in addition to our wide bancassurance networks with IDBI Bank and Federal Bank.”

source economictimes.com

[phaedrus]

ADAG care for personal health

ANIL Ambani-owned ADAG is entering the personalised healthcare services. Medybiz, part of the group’s Reliance Health Ventures, is learnt to be in the final stages of developing a home-based disease management programme that aims at addressing chronic ailments. Touted to be the first of its kind in India, the programme is based on a partnership between physicians and their patients and is serviced by an expert panel of medical and para-medical professionals.
The programme will seek to address ailments such as diabetes, coronary heart diseases, hypertension, obesity, cancer, as well as orthopaedic disorders, neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. According to the World Health Organization, India will record an estimated loss of national income to the tune of $54 billion on account of chronic diseases by 2015. “Our teams of medical specialists are developing unique home-based disease management programmes,”
said a company spokesperson.
These unique home-based programmes will help people change unhealthy lifestyles that lead to chronic diseases and improve selfcare skills during an illness. It will also make cost-effective healthcare decisions. The service will be provided only through the doctors and on their advice. No patient will be approached directly and the company’s medical professionals will only implement and ensure that the doctor’s advice is followed. The company, however, did not want to comment at this stage on when they expect the service to be launched.

source economictimes epaper

[zhiemi]

Bill Clinton taps 4 Indian pharma cos to cut malaria drug price

Former US President Bill Clinton has roped in four Indian pharmaceutical firms and two from China to cut the price of anti-malarial drugs by a whopping 30 per cent which is likely to benefit 500 million people worldwide.

The firms have also agreed to lower the price volatility of artemisinin, the key raw material for artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), by 70 per cent, said Clinton, whose charitable foundation helped broker the deal.

The agreements make prices for malaria drugs more affordable and sustainable to help meet growing global demand. The prices will be available to the 69 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean that make up the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) purchasing consortium.

"Nearly every life lost to malaria could have been saved with access to effective medicines," Clinton said.

Under the agreements negotiated by CHAI, the Mumbai-based Ipca and Cipla will offer a co-blister formulation of artesunate+amodiaquine (AS+AQ)-one of the most widely used ACTs-at or below an average ceiling price of 48 cents per treatment, a reduction of more than 30 per cent from current market rates.

They also will offer artemether-lumafantrine, the other most common ACT, at or below an average ceiling price of 91 cents, the current price available from Novartis.

Among the other manufacturers party to the agreements, the two Mumbai-based firms -- Calyx and Mangalam Drugs are active ingredient suppliers, and Holleypharm (Chongqing in southwest China) and PIDI Standard (Guangzhou in southern China) are suppliers of the raw material, artemisinin.

[zhiemi]

Biocon is World's Top 20 Biotechnology Company : Med Ad News

Biocon, India's pioneering biotechnology enterprise, announced today that the company has been featured amongst the top 25 global biotechnology companies according to a report released by Med Ad News. The report takes into consideration drug based firms, as these companies provide the best numbers to track the progress of the sector. Companies have been ranked by revenue and by income and Biocon Limited is the only Asian company to feature in this ranking at Number 20.

BIO 2008, held in San Diego last month, stated that the global biotechnology industry will be a $100 billion annual business by 2010. The actual revenue has reached $85 billion in 2007. There are close to 5000 biotech companies across the globe. The top 25 biotech companies represent 62 percent of all biotech sales and probably over 90 percent of income.

Reacting to the listing, Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited said, "It is a matter of immense pride for Biocon to be ranked amongst the top global league of Biotech companies. This is a validation of our consistent effort at attaining global leadership and also highlights the true potential of this sector in a country like India. This industry will be a key driver in India?s progress towards economic development."

Nineteen of the top 25 companies are based in the U.S., while six companies hail from Europe to India to Australia.

[zhiemi]

NHPL in pact with two Jamshedpur hospitals

Devi Prasad Shetty-run Narayana Hrudayalaya Pvt Ltd (NHPL) on Friday signed two separate MoUs with Jamshedpur Eye Hospital (JEH) and Ardeshir Dalal Memorial Hospital (ADMH) to develop 'Medicity' at their premises.

The MoU with JEH aims at creating necessary infrastructure in the premises of JEH at Sakchi for developing advanced high-end super-speciality medical care for the masses, and the one with ADMH will envision, detail and facilitate creating the necessary infrastructure at the ADMH premises at Baridih.

The first MoU was signed between NHPL CMD Devi Prasad Shetty and JEH chairman S Muthuraman in the presence of Tata Steel managing director B Muthuraman.

[dakshinapraja]

Biocon Limited, in alliance with the US-based Abraxis Bio Science, today announced the launch of Abraxane, an oncotheraputic drug for treatment of breast cancer, in India.

The drug could be administered if combination therapy for metastatic disease failed or there was relapse within six months of adjuvant chemotherapy.

The drug has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India in October 2007.

Link: http://www.business-standard.com/com...N&autono=42579

[phaedrus]

cross posting from the chennai thread


Chennai gets India's first heart implant training centre

India has got its first training centre for doctors to learn how to place implants in the heart.


Medtronic, a US-based medical technology service provider, opened its first therapy and procedure training centre (TPTC) in South Asia, in Chennai on Saturday.

A recent report in the premier medical journal The Lancet has said that by 2010, 60 percent of the world's heart patients will be in India. The majority of these patients will suffer from cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure and coronary artery diseases.

Implantable cardiac devices such as pacemakers, de-fibrillators, cardiac therapy devices and coronary stents play a major role in the treatment of these life-threatening conditions.

The process of implanting these cardiac devices is complex and requires highly specialised and technically skilled practitioners.

Launched in 2004, Medtronic has a TPTC mobile unit that travels all over the US, training doctors. It has, so far, trained over 8,500 physicians, nurses and other health professionals via its mobile training unit.

It also has 18 virtual training labs throughout the world, including in the US, central America, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, half a dozen European countries, China, Japan and Australia.

The Chennai centre, the first in India, is aimed at increasing the number of heart specialists who will know how implant life saving devices in heart patients.

The centre's state-of-the-art classroom and programmer lab will provide training to cardiologists on the programming and follow-up management of these devices. Besides hands-on training, there will also be simulator-equipped class rooms at the centre.

"The therapy and procedure training centre in Chennai is an example of effective training and education used by the company worldwide," Joon Hurh, Medtronic's regional vice president, said on the occasion.

"As more people around the world are in need of implanted medical devices like pacemakers, ICD's and other cardiac devices, so too is the growing need for well-trained clinicians to care for these patients," said Milind Shah, managing director, Medtronic India.

"India has a small number of electro-physiologists (just about 50) who implant high-end devices like CRTs and ICDs to manage heart failures and reduce mortality due to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)."

"Medtronic is committed to increasing this number in India so that physicians are able to deliver these therapies effectively to more and more patients who need them," Shah said.

The use of simulators is quickly becoming a standard approach to Medtronic training programmes.

Introduced in 2003, Medtronic's virtual labs with state-of-the-art simulator technology provide a safe way for physicians to develop the skills and confidence to implant devices, and for other health professionals to better understand the implantation process, "with life-like implant scenario", the company said.

The simulators are designed to provide a safe environment in which to learn new techniques while avoiding complications and minimising costs.

source economictimes.com

[zhiemi]

Docs with foreign PG can practise.

In a bid to allow Indian doctors practising abroad to return and plug the acute shortage in healthcare back home, the government may soon recognize postgraduate medical degrees of 10 foreign countries.

Degrees from France, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Italy, Singapore, South Africa and Spain are under consideration, which will allow Indian doctors settled in these countries to return home and practise without even a physical verification, health ministry officials said. The move was aimed at reducing the country’s shortage of trained doctors, especially in super speciality disciplines, they said.

So far, doctors who had completed MBBS from a recognized university in India and completed the PG degree from any of these countries were unable to return and practise in India as their PG degrees were not recognized.

The intention also comes four months after the ministry allowed Indian doctors with PG degrees from UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to return and practise in India in any public or private hospital.

The ministry is also working on amending the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, to allow Indian doctors returning home from these 15 countries to automatically become a faculty member of a medical college, if they want to teach under-graduate students.

So far, India recognized the PG degree of a foreign country only as a reciprocal gesture, limiting the bracket to Ireland, Bangladesh and Nepal which recognized Indian degrees. However, the shortage of both doctors and faculty has made the health ministry reconsider the rule.

Source: TOI

[zhiemi]

DU students launch campaign on AIDS.

A student of Delhi University Karan Deep has a ‘special assignment’ on hand everyday, a tete-a-tete with 100-odd rickshaw-pullers in the Capital’s campus area.
He chats with them for around two hours daily on various aspects associated with HIV/AIDS and also educates them on the use of condoms.
He is part of a group of 20 students from various DU colleges who are currently running an awareness campaign about HIV/AIDS and its prevention to shed misconceptions associated with the deadly disease among youth and socially-backward classes.
They are leading an aggressive campaign among newcomers, hostelers, ‘rickshawallahs’ plying in the campus as well as tea vendors, gardeners and other people in and around the area.
“Generally people are aware of the disease and the stigma associated with it. However, they are not so informed about its method of spread and the various misconceptions surrounding it. We encourage the use of condoms so that it can be prevented,” says Sandeep, a volunteer from Ramjas College.
Moving about in groups and interacting with people, these volunteers first gauge the existing level of awareness among people by conducting a survey based on a questionnaire and then work towards filling up the gaps by removing their misconceptions.
The questionnaire has 37 questions involving various aspects of the disease — its causes, effects and the means to prevent it.

Source: TOI

[phaedrus]

Govt may buy MNC drugs in bulk and sell cheap

THE government is examining the possibility of barring multinational companies who hold monopoly over costly, patented drugs and medical devices from accessing Indian patients directly. Instead, the government may purchase the entire requirement of the country including that of private hospitals and use the collective purchasing power to negotiate a far lower price than what the companies may charge if allowed to directly sell to consumers.
The move may be the most effective way of making affordable the cutting-edge therapies of multinational companies which even affluent families find difficult to afford.
Direct selling to consumers through retailers or hospital pharmacies involves promotional expenses. Therefore, the proposal would be beneficial for the companies too as it would assure them of a massive contract besides lowering their promotional expense.
Big pharmaceutical corporations like GSK and Merck are aware of the need for affordable therapies and have started selling their sophisticated new medicines in the country at a fraction of the price at which they sell in developed countries like the US.
Merck, for example, sells its diabetes drug Januvia in India at roughly a fifth of its price in the US.
The government’s move is interesting
as it would put to efficient use its clout as
a major buyer of medicines instead of asking companies to lower prices using its sovereign powers.
It is, however, unlikely that the government may venture into distribution of medicines to consumers, which may lead to leakages and inefficiency that characterises the country’s public distribution of food. Once procured at the central level for the requirement of the entire country, the drugs may be released to the respective users such as
the railways, state governments, corporate
hospitals and nursing homes.
Disallowing a company from directly reaching patients is not new to the country. The government had prevented Cipla from selling its version of Swiss drug maker Roche’s bird flu therapy in the retail market. The apprehension was that such sales may lead to panic consumption and lead to the virus developing immunity.

source economictimes epaper

[phaedrus]

Max builds up interest in JV

CONTRARY to the popular trend of Indian companies diluting their economic interests in joint ventures, Max India has probably become the first domestic company to do the opposite. It has raised its economic interest in its life insurance joint venture company, Max New York Life (MNYL), from 50% to 74%. MNYL is a joint venture between Max India and US-based New York Life. This means Max India’s share in the valuation of MNYL has gone up by 24%. A recent research report by an Indian broking house pegged the value of MNYL at over Rs 10,000 crore based on 2009-10 premium estimates. MNYL accounts for about 80% of Max India’s consolidated revenues.
As per the options agreement signed between the partners in 2003, for every equity investment made in the 26:74 joint venture, New York Life used to contribute 26%, Max used to pump in 50%, and the Indian company’s remaining 24% used to be funded through an advance paid to it by New York Life. It had also been agreed that when the 26% FDI sectoral cap in the insurance sector was relaxed, New York Life would have the option of increasing its shareholding in the joint venture to up to 50% at par value. These provisions had been approved by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), and were disclosed in Max India’s successive annual reports.
However, under the fresh joint venture agreement, Max has repaid the Rs 174-crore deposit paid by New York Life and increased its economic interest to 74%.

source economictimes epaper

[phaedrus]

Pharma companies going slow on drug launches

IN WHAT is seen as a fallout of the product patent regime, drug makers are launching lesser number of brands in the Rs 33,000-crore domestic pharma retail market. For the two-year period ended March 2008, the total number of drugs launched in India has come down to 4,700 from 4,830 for the two-year period ended March, 2005. Also, most of the drugs launched in the last two years are not new molecules but combination and new forms of existing molecules.
Incidentally, companies have also not been able to rake in much revenue from their new brands. Around 10,000 drugs were launched between April 2003 to March 2005 and between April 2006 to March 2008, but about 100 or 1% of them managed to cross sales of Rs 4 crore annually, according to a study by market-based consultancy firm ORG IMS.
The highest number of drugs, 646 brands, were launched in the anti-infective segment — the largest thereupatic segment — in the last two years. The least number of drugs, 108 brands, were launched in the anti-diabetes segment.
Traditionally, new drugs have been the major driving force behind the growth of companies, but those days may be over. “As the window for the pre-95 molecules becomes smaller, lesser number of drugs are being launched. For example, only four new molecules were launched in the anti-diabetic segment over the last four years. The trend is expected to continue in the coming years also. Companies will have to focus on augmenting their existing brands and increasing their penetration in smaller town and cities,” ORG IMS India MD Shailesh Gadre said.
Top brands continue to garner a significant portion of the domestic market. The country’s top selling drug Novartis’ Voveran posted sales of Rs 143.5 crore for the year-ended May, up 13.3%, followed by Pfizer’s Corex, which notched up Rs 142.8 crore, also up 5.7%.

source economictimes epaper

[phaedrus]

Elder Pharma to market Cymbiotics drugs in India

THE California-based bio-pharmaceutical company, Cymbiotics, has signed an in-licensing deal with Elder Pharmaceuticals to market six of its patented products in India, reports Rajesh Unnikrishnan from Mumbai. As per the agreement, Elder will market Cymbiotics products in pain management, diabetics, dermatology, besides OTC products. Cymbiotics develops disease-specific formulations in pain management, cardiovascular, urinary incontinence and other inflammation management-related conditions. Initially, Elder will market Cymbiotics’ arthritis drug Flexasur and diabetic drug Diaperin. Cymbiotics CEO Raj Barathur said, ”The deal will strengthen our presence in the Indian market.”

source economictimes epaper

[phaedrus]

Piramal Health inks marketing deal with US co BioElectronics

PIRAMAL Healthcare is set to clinch yet another in-licensing deal. The company has concluded a marketing deal with US-based firm Bio-Electronics to market the latter’s pain management equipment, ActiPatch. The deal is likely to be announced sometime next month, sources said.
Confirming this, Piramal Life Sciences vice-chairperson Swati Piramal said, “We have a strong marketing and distribution network and we are capitalising on that. We have a team that is continuously on the look out for such alliances. The product is going to be launched in August.” This alliance, she added, was solely a marketing one.
BioElectronics is the developer and marketer of ActiPatch, a medical device which deliver pulsed electromagnetic frequency (PEMF) therapies to accelerate healing of soft tissue injuries.
Meanwhile, Piramal Healthcare on Tuesday said, it has joined hands with Pierre Fabre, a French-based company to launch ‘Ducray’, a range of dermo-cosmetic products. The two companies have invested Rs 10 crore in setting up the required infrastructure in India. Since the products are derived from plants, the active plant ingredients will be made in France with the formulation done in India. This, Dr Piramal says, has helped to bring down the price of the products, the benefit of which will be passed on to the consumers.
“The dermo-cosmetic market in India is new and nascent but has a lot of potential. So far there is no product in this category that is being sold. Since these products are non-schedule H they will only be sold on a prescription basis from dermatologists,” she said. Both companies, however, hope that in the near future, the products will be allowed to be sold over-the-counter.
“We hope to reach a target of Rs 20 crore in the next couple of years for these products. We also have plans to launch another 10-12 products in the coming years,” said Ducray Laboratories director Pierre Bottino.

source economictimes epaper

[phaedrus]

Small pharma companies to get pricing antidote

The government is believed to be considering a proposal to free from price control about 5,000 small pharma companies having turnover of up to Rs 10 crore based outside the excise-free zones. The move is aimed at providing relief to small units facing problems due to introduction of MRP-based excise and rise in prices of raw materials imported from China.

In a presentation to the pharma department, the SME Pharma Industries Confederation (Spic) sought exemption from price control to small units which operate under MRP-based excise regime. “The government has assured us that it would consider our proposal,” Spic secretary general Jagdeep Singh said. He said it is unfair to compare small units with large companies.

“MRP-based excise is the suitable way of price control (as compared to DPCO). Most big companies like Cipla manufacture non-scheduled medicines in excise-free zones and charge high prices. For instance, the ex-factory cost of Cetrizine (sourced from excise free zone) is Rs 2 for a strip of ten tablet but the company sells it on an MRP of Rs 36.

Firms based outside excise free zones cannot do it because they have to pay excise based on that MRP, said Mr Singh. Units in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are exempted from excise payment.

However, a senior government official ET spoke to denied any such proposal is being considered. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has already refused to increase prices of drugs and asked the industry to approach it with individual applications.

According to pharma majors, selective exemptions will give undue benefit to some sections of the industry. Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers Of India general secretary Tapan Ray said: “If there is any directive by the government, it should be applicable equally to all sections of the industry to provide a level-playing field. Any selective exemptions will be unfair.”

“Creating artificial barriers brings distortions and imbalances which should in fact be eliminated rather than encouraged,” Novartis India MD Ranjit Shahani said.

source economictimes.com

[Euromast]

From '09, 1-year rural stint a must for MBBS students

NEW DELHI: From next year, a one-year stint in the villages will be a mandatory requirement for MBBS students before they can apply for a postgraduate degree in India.

Reviving the proposal that was earlier shelved following nationwide protests by medical students, the Union Health Ministry has just sent the final proposal for a compulsory rural stint to the Medical Council of India for approval.

Once it approves the proposal, MCI will have to make changes in its regulation defining who is eligible to apply for a PG medical degree in India.

Officials made it clear that the rule will apply from the next academic year.

The government has, however, decided to spare students applying for PG degrees in courses like anatomy, biochemistry and physiology ‘‘as the country is facing an acute shortage of students opting for such courses’’.

If an MBBS doctor completes his PG course from a foreign university, he can come back and practise provided the PG degree is recognized in India. In such cases, the mandatory rural stint will not be applicable.

According to officials, MBBS doctors will have to spend four months each in a primary health centre, community health centre and district hospital. They will be paid a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000.

[zhiemi]

Good news, I say, because of this:

‘8% of primary health centres don’t have docs’

In the wake of the d i s m a l state of rural health services, government may make a one-year stint in the villages mandatory for MBBS students before they can apply for a postgraduate degree.

According to the recent National Rural Health Mission report, nearly 8% of the country’s 22,669 primary health centres don’t have a doctor while nearly 39% were running without a lab technician and 17.7% without a pharmacist.

The condition of the 3,910 community health centres, supposed to provide specialized medical care, is equally appalling. Out of the sanctioned strength, posts of 59.4% surgeons, 45% obstetricians and gynaecologists, 61.1% physicians and 53.8% paediatricians are vacant.

India churns out 29,500 medical graduates annually, but most of them are reluctant to serve in villages and would rather join the private sector for better salaries and an urban posting. In effect, 67% of doctors enrolled for rural posting remain absent from duty.

Also, there is only one allopathic doctor for 1,634 people. According to MCI, the total number of registered allopathic doctors in the country is 6,83,582.

Source: TOI

[zhiemi]

Now, India-Brazil partnership high on pharma tie-ups

India and Brazil have joined hands to promote business interest between the two countries in the pharma sector. “Brazil and India together can herald the next era for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector” was the general sentiment that was echoed at the India Brazil Seminar on Health and Medication organized by CII on Monday.

José Gomes Temporão, minister of health, Brazil said, “There is a need to develop links between the two countries in the health sectors as a lot had to be gained through this exchange of knowledge, skills and technology.” He identified health policies, sanitary regulations, traditional medicines and production of medicines and medical equipments as potential areas of cooperation between India and Brazil.

Chandrajit Banerjee, director-general CII said, “CII intends to increase the level of interaction and engage more closely with Brazil across sectors, especially in the pharma and healthcare sector”. He also added that CII would soon open its first Latin American office in Brazil.

Identifying the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry as one, that the country is determined to develop, Temporão said that the country's government aims to provide maximum incentives for foreign participation and partnerships through the new production development policy (PDP).

He highlighted the considerable trade deficit in medicines and active ingredients and expressed great interest in partnering with a medically advanced country such as India.

Arun K Khanna, executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals said, “Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare industry are the sunrise sectors in India, which is increasingly gaining global recognition.”

Projecting sector growth at 12-14% over the next 3-5 years, Khanna identified high disease prevalence, increased access to healthcare facilities, changing healthcare model and medical tourism, increasing spending capability and the population dynamics at large as reasons for growth.

He said that the average Indian household spends 11% more on healthcare and medical services today, as compared to 1996, and therefore, the industry has more than doubled in the last six years.

[zhiemi]

Columbia Asia plans hospitals in all metros

Kuala Lampur-based multinational hospital chain Columbia Asia plans to set up hospitals in all the four metros.

"Within next two years we would have presence in all metros, Tier I and Tier II cities of India. We would like to be in a position where we are competitive in numbers with other hospital chains," Columbia Asia Hospitals Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tufan Ghosh told PTI.

He, however, refrained from quoting the exact number of hospitals it plans to set up or the investment it would make. Mr Ghosh added that the company has also entered into an agreement with real estate major DLF, under which it would set up its hospital in all townships developed by the real estate group.

He, however, refused to tell anything about the locations identified for the project. At present, Columbia Asia has four hospitals in the country, two hospitals in Bangalore, one in Kolkata and one at Gurgaon, inaugurated this week.

"We have around 600 rooms available at present taking together the four hospitals. The new hospitals which are to come up during next two years would have on average around 100 rooms each," Mr Ghosh said.