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| Max sole bidder for Punjab super-speciality hospitals |
| Vijay C Roy / New Delhi/ Chandigarh Feb 12, 2009, 00:00 IST |
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Max Healthcare, one of the leading hospital chains in northern India, has emerged the sole bidder for two greenfield super-specialty hospitals, to be set up at Mohali and Bathinda in Punjab.
The proposed project, the first of its kind in the state, will be built on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode and is likely to attract an investment of Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore for each hospital. Under this model, the state health department will provide land on a lease of 50 years, while the construction will be carried out by the private player.
“Only Max Healthcare has submitted the Request for Proposal (RfP) document for the project,” said an official related with the project.
The technical bid submitted by the company will be evaluated and on qualification, the financial bid will be opened, sources said.
The minimum capacity of the greenfield hospitals will be 200 beds, of which at least 50 each will be reserved for cancer and trauma centre healthcare services, respectively.
Punjab government officials refused to comment on the lukewarm response for the project. Even officials of Fortis Healthcare, the home grown company, were not available for comment.
Sources revealed that the minimum obligation to pay 5 per cent of the gross turnover to the state government is on a higher side in view of the low margins associated with the healthcare industry. This point was raised during the pre-bid conference held on January 20, but no action was taken.
Further, they revealed that RfP document specifies provision of two linear accelerators (linac) for cancer unit. Sources are of the view that since these linac machines are too expensive, it can be difficult to obtain them.
The greenfield hospital in Mohali is expected to come up on 3.15 acres, while the one at Bathinda is expected to come up on 4.8 acres.
On the issue, the state government officials clarified that provision of two linear accelerators is for providing uninterrupted services.
Mortgage of the project site for arranging secure loan is also not allowed and this aspect will make it very difficult for private players to arrange for secured loans for the project implementation.
The developers had also objections to a representative of the government on the board of SPC (Special Purpose Company) formed for the project and opening of escrow account for the project.
It is worth noting that the proposed super-specialty hospital, proposed to come up on a 3.15-acre plot adjoining the District civil hospital in Mohali, and also expected to come up in Bathinda on a 4.8-acre plot of land adjoining the District civil hospital there.
The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board has invited the Expression of Interest (EoI) till February 11 from any national or international individual, firm, company, non-profit organisation or a combination of them in the form of consortium or joint ventures.
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