Fortis forays into healthcare sector in Bangalore

Delhi-based hospital chain, Fortis Healthcare, today forayed into healthcare market in Bangalore with the opening of its maiden hospital at Seshadripuram in city centre. This is also its second venture in South India, where it is trying to get a major foothold. The hospital is a brownfield project with 100 beds and is developed as a super-speciality hospital, focusing more on preventive healthcare.

The company, which had been trying to make an entry into south India and Bangalore for many years, has finally managed to buy a hospital in the city. While announcing the acquisition, the hospital had expressed its keenness to follow a hub and spoke model of healthcare. It is looking to acquire more hospitals in Bangalore.

The group had said it was ready for green field and brown field projects.

On the kind of investments required, Bhavdeep Singh, CEO, Fortis Healthcare, without giving any numbers said, “We will be investing in building efficiencies in the new facility. We will be putting systems in place. The basic infrastructure already exists at the hospital.” Meanwhile, the hospital launched the Fortis Golden Club to provide healthcare services to senior citizens. Fortis is now a network of 28 hospitals with capacity to increase in-patient beds to 3,280. Fortis Healthcare had earlier filed a draft for a rights issue of Rs 1,000 crore.