With Navi Mumbai facility, Apollo Hospitals aims at international patients

The company expects its international patients business to grow by 20% every year

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) is gearing up to promote its brand in international markets with the aim of increasing the inflow of international patients, including from Africa and West Asia, among other countries, to India. It is expected that the recently launched Navi Mumbai hospital would be the centre for treat these international patients.

Currently, around Rs 500 crore, almost 12 per cent of the company's revenue, comes from international patients and this figure is expected to grow every year, said a senior management official from the company.

"We are expecting it to grow significantly in (the) near future. It could grow at around 20 per cent every year," said Krishnan Akhileswaran, chief financial officer, AHEL.

While Mumbai's proximity and connectivity with these countries is an attraction, the company also equips its hospitals with high standard facilities to take care of international patients, company officials told analysts recently.

The investment of around Rs 600 crore in the 480-bed hospital also ensures high-end equipment, which means that the cost of service in this hospital would be comparatively higher, said analysts. They added that it would have an advantage in terms of connectivity and proximity with the markets of West Asia and Africa.

The company has appointed an official to boost the brand in international markets, the sources added.