Private hospital sector may touch Rs 2 lakh cr by 2012: Study

The private hospital sector is expected to touch $45 billion (around Rs 2,00,000 crore) in the next three years riding on growth in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, a study said.     

The size of private hospital sector at present is $22 billion, according to a joint study by Assocham and Yes Bank.     

"Investments by private players in Tier II and Tier III cities are increasingly getting momentum, with rising income levels and exposure to international standards of quality in these cities. Therefore, the sector is expected to rise exponentially," Assocham President Swati Piramal said.     

The survey said private healthcare sector is poised to be a key contributor to the healthcare industry with substantial private equity investments .    

Further, it said, the Indian diagnostic and pathology services contribution to healthcare industry may touch $2.5 billion by 2012 against $1.2 billion in 2008-09.     

Several key players in diagnostic and pathology services have proposed significant investments for expanding in Tier II and Tier III cities, the study said.     

Dr Lal PathLabs plans to scale up to a size of 50 laboratories with 1,000 collection centres in the next five years with an investment of Rs 35 crore. Piramal Diagnostics plans to invest Rs 100 crore to add 10-15 laboratories by 2012 and increase the number of collection centres to one thousand with an increased focus on Tier II and III towns.