ASG Eye Hospital to invest ₹2,000 crore, scale to 600-700 centres

ASG Eye Hospital will invest Rs 2,000 crore to expand from 175-plus centres to 600-700 by 2030, using acquisitions, new hospitals and district centres, backed by investors

ASG Eye Hospital, one of India’s largest super-speciality eye-care networks, has announced an expansion strategy involving an investment of Rs 2,000 crore to increase its presence from the current 175-plus centres to 600–700 centres across the country by 2030.

 

What is ASG’s expansion target and who is backing the plan? 

The plan is backed by existing investors General Atlantic and Kedaara Capital. The company said the programme aims to address rising demand for specialist ophthalmic care in tier-2 and tier-3 regions, where access remains limited. ASG currently operates in more than 95 cities with over 175 hospitals and 200 vision centres.

 

What are the three pillars of ASG’s growth strategy to 2030? 

ASG’s expansion strategy is built on a three-pillar framework that includes 8 to 10 targeted acquisitions each year, focused on regional and niche clinical practices and modelled on its recent integration of Vasan Eye Care; opening five to seven new multispecialty eye hospitals annually, equipped with comprehensive ophthalmic services; and the addition of around 100 district-level centres every year to expand specialist access in underserved districts, particularly in northern and eastern states.

 

How will ASG fund the Rs 2,000 crore investment and what is the timeline? 

Arun Singhvi, managing director and chief executive officer of ASG Eye Hospital, explained that the planned Rs 2,000-crore investment is necessary to expand into nearly 500 districts across India, and will be funded through a mix of internal accruals, private or debt-based funding, and a new round of capital raising. While some of the current expansion, such as the 25 centres being opened now, is financed internally, the larger scale of upcoming acquisitions and organic growth will require additional funds.

 

“We expect to raise around Rs 1,000 crore in primary funding over the next 12–18 months, either through a private placement or a public offering. The overall investment will be deployed over the next four years, up to 2030. Our ownership structure also allows local partners to hold a 20 per cent stake in each centre, which functions as a business unit under a single holding company that is a wholly owned subsidiary, rather than creating state-wise entities,” Singhvi added.

 

Why does ASG see consolidation opportunities in India’s eye-care market? 

ASG said this combined approach is intended to accelerate consolidation in India’s $5.5-billion eye-care market and significantly broaden the chain’s national coverage.

 

What is ASG’s pitch on preventable vision loss and access outside metros? 

“More than 80 per cent of vision loss in India is preventable,” Singhvi added. He said the expansion is aimed at improving access to quality ophthalmic treatment outside metropolitan areas and reducing avoidable blindness resulting from gaps in specialist availability and affordability.

 

How will ASG lower costs while maintaining clinical quality? 

ASG plans to use centralised procurement, digital workflows and standardised clinical protocols to reduce the cost of procedures such as cataract, Lasik and retina surgeries, while maintaining treatment quality across its centres.

 

What role will tele-ophthalmology, training and PPPs play in the rollout? 

Alongside its physical expansion, ASG will allocate funds toward developing tele-ophthalmology and remote diagnostics, advancing research and development in surgical techniques and imaging, expanding clinician training programmes, and strengthening standardised operating procedures across its network.

 

The company said public-private partnerships (PPP) will be an important avenue for extending services to low-resource geographies.

 

How does ASG’s Vision 2030 build on its operating playbook? 

Founded two decades ago, ASG has built a significant presence in India’s organised ophthalmology sector. The Vision 2030 roadmap marks a shift toward rapid district-level penetration, leveraging its existing scale and the operational playbook developed during its turnaround of Vasan Eye Care.

 

ASG said its broader goal is to expand access to reliable, affordable and standardised eye care across the country through a mix of acquisitions, organic expansion and technology-enabled outreach.