NRI doctors embark on super-speciality chain

A group NRI doctors have set up an multi-speciality hospital in Bangalore with an investment of Rs 100 crore. The hospital - Indus Westside Hospital is 200-bed hospital, with a built-up area of 110,000 square feet has six operation theatres and 45 ICU beds. The company has added that it plans a second hospital in city while also mulling hi-tech hospitals in tier-2 and tier-3 cities in Karnataka.

The hospital chain, started by Dr Ashok Jain, has among its investors and shareholders doctors from the US, the UK and Canada. According to the group, Dr Jain has a chain of four clinics in the US and is in the process of starting the fifth one there. The group had among those funding it, angel investors, doctors and industrialists.

Some 18 doctors are the promoters, and have their offices and centres in the US. Of the 18, some 12 to 14 of them plan to relocate to India.

The hospital, which has come up in 19 months, has raised funds locally from a few doctors and non-doctors too. The non-doctors include two investors who are iron ore miners, a few from the IT industry, a few granite exporters among others.

While, in Bangalore, the hospital will mostly have greenfield projects, the hospital will look to acquire or have joint ventures for expanding into tier 2 and tier 3 cities, in the next 6-12 months.

The hospital will initially focus on Karnataka, and then look to expand into Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

In due course, the group aims to have primary health centres in districts which will act as feeder centres for the city centre. The hospital aims to break-even in two years.

The hospital claims it will not use the absolute top-end of the diagnostic tools and treatments unless it is necessary, and hence keep the costs down. Said Dr Jain, “You can make do with a Rs 2 crore CT scanner instead of a Rs 5 crore scanner to get similar results.”