Apollo to pump in Rs 2,000 cr over the next five years

Apollo Hospitals aims to pump in Rs 2,000 crore over the next four to five years for setting up hospitals across the country. This would include setting up of Reach and High-end hospitals as well as knowledge centres, said Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Group. The company is also planning to double its pharmacy business from 600 outlets to 1200 in next two years.

In a bid further increase access to healthcare for the common man, Apollo Hospitals is in the process of starting Apollo Reach Hospitals, which would be 100 -150 bed tertiary care hospitals in non - metro cities. The group plans to build 250 such hospitals in the next seven years.

In Gujarat, Apollo plans to build five Reach Hospitals in near future and a couple of high end hospitals. "We are also in the process of setting up a 300 bed hospital in Mauritius for an estimated investment of Rs 120 crore," Reddy said.

The expenditure on healthcare will be more than double by 2012, said Ms. Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Group. The spending is expected to increase from US $ 26 billion at present to US $ 45-75 billion over the next 10 years. The private sector will continue to be the largest component of healthcare spending.

Several leading Indian as well as Indian origin doctors practicing in the west especially US & UK are attending a two-day conference organized by the Apollo Hospitals Group in Ahmedabad. Sharing the reasons behind the conference, Reddy said that it is Apollo's endeavour to build the "medical bridges" between India and the West (countries like USA & UK).

Apollo has now emerged as the single largest Telemedicine solution provider in India. Today, the Apollo Group owns and manages over 9000 hospital beds across 43 hospitals in three countries. Apollo has treated 16 million patients. Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited is the entity that has established a network of over 75 Apollo Clinics across the country.

Private equity firm Apax holds 13% equity in Apollo Hospitals for an investment of about Rs 400 crore.