UAE-based VPS Healthcare buys stakes in Rockland, Lakeshore

UAE-based VPS Healthcare is looking at India as a "natural choice" for expansion and has invested over Rs 1,000 crore to acquire majority stakes in Rockland's Manesar, Qutub and Dwaraka (NCR) hospitals and Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi.
VPS Healthcare has 16 high-end hospitals and more than 100 primary care medical centres spread across the Middle East.
"With over 20 per cent of the global disease burden, exploding epidemic of non-communicable disease and ever- increasing gap in providing quality healthcare, India became a natural choice for our expansion," VPS Healthcare and Managing Director V P Shamsheer said.
VPS Healthcare's acquisition of majority stakes in NCR and Kerala hospitals by investing over Rs 1,000 crore, makes it one of the largest investments in healthcare sector in the recent past.

"Our presence will strengthen private healthcare in India, which is the major player as of now in India. Our commitment to quality and patient care has made VPS Healthcare the largest internationally accredited healthcare institution in the Middle east," Shamsheer said.
The group is also planning to establish a high-end tertiary care institution in Noida with combined strength of over 1,000 beds.

Following the acquisition, the company will reposition the hospitals as VPS-Lakeshore and VPS-Rockland.
"The immediate focus will be to develop operational strategies to focus on creating value for patients," a company statement said, adding that "the company also proposes to expand its coverage to deliver quality service to some of the serious and major illness affecting the population like cancer."

Moreover, VPS Healthcare will create necessary forums and platforms for seamless exchange of knowledge across all its institutions in India and abroad.