BP Poddar works on hub & spoke

Kolkata based BP Poddar Group has firmed up plans to invest around Rs 250 crore in the health care and associated sector over the next three years, said Arun Poddar, chairman, B P Poddar group.

"We are expecting to invest Rs 150 crore on building the proposed medical colleges where the remaining Rs 100 crore shall be spent on building hospital and for the expansion of the 'hub and spoke model', that we have set up,"said Poddar.

The debt :equity ratio in the hospital segment will be 1:1 whereas 1.5:1 in the educational institute, he added.

Poddar further informed that land for proposed dental college has been cleared by the government of West Bengal in Kamarhati, 24 parganas (N) and is expected to be complete by 2007.

The investment for the dental college will be in the tune of Rs 32 crore.

Land for medical college has also been identified in Baruipur area and the proposed investment will be around Rs 100 crore, added Poddar. In addition, the group is in the process of launching another nursing home in the city in Kestopur area that will cost the group around Rs 18 crore. The hospital is expected to start in 2006, he noted.

The group today launched its first clinic as an extension of 'hub and spoke model' centering the recently launched 220 bed multi-specialty hospital at New Alipore.

The group will be setting up five more such clinics within next 15 months, two in Kolkata and likely one clinic each in Tamluk and Bardhaman, added Poddar.

"Typically, each units requires an investment in the tune of Rs 2-5 crore,"added Poddar.