Assam's GNRC hospital aims big, to go global in next five years

North-East's premier hospital chain - GNRC Hospitals, promoted by GNRC Hospitals Limited (GHL), is aiming big as it plans to soon set up new super specialty hospitals in countries like Myanmar, Bangladesh and African continent, besides few in eastern part of India. The proposed hospitals would be offering healthcare facilities at affordable rates to patients and the expansion project is expected to be funded by the World Bank.To start with, GHL has plans to open at least 10 new hospitals in next five years.

Out of the 10 proposed hospitals, two or three units would be opened in the North-Eastern region and the rest would be set up in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and few in the foreign countries. GHL, which was formerly known as Guwahati Neurology Research Centre, is based in Assam and presently runs three super specialty hospitals in and around the Guwahati city. Nomal Chandra Borah, chairman and managing director of GHL, told Business Standard that the total investment size of the expansion project would be around Rs 750 crore.

"We would be collaborating with the government and expect World Bank to fund the expansion project," added Borah. The new hospitals would be opened on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis.

GHL's North Guwahati hospital, which was opened six months back and which is also known as GNRC Medical, had recently received a grant of $150,000 from the World Bank through its India Development Marketplace (IDM) initiative for providing "quality" healthcare services at affordable prices.

The 10 new proposed hospitals would be in line with GHL's North Guwahati hospital model.Borah said he had chosen eastern part of India and Myanmar, Bangladesh and African countries to open new super specialty hospitals as affordable, quality and tertiary healthcare facilities in those regions and countries were largely absent. He said presently patients from countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar come to GNRC for treatment.

Borah claimed the GNRC North Guwahati hospital, the model which would be now replicated in the form of new hospitals, offers healthcare services at ultra-cheap rates in the North-Eastern region.

He even claimed rates of few services, which include tests, were even lower than those in government-run hospitals. The 300-bedded hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment facilities such as MRI, Cath Lab and CT Scan. "The North Guwahati hospital has received enormous response in the first six months of its operation and is presently receiving up to 200 out-patients every day," said Borah.

In addition, GHL also plans to "soon" launch an air-ambulance and medical outreach programme using helicopters to provide healthcare to remote and inaccessible areas of the region. The service will regularly ferry doctors from GNRC to remote locations across the region, including Sikkim, and provide doorstep medical support to the patients.