Fortis Healthcare to set up hospital in Amritsar

Fortis Healthcare Ltd, a healthcare arm of the Ranbaxy group, is looking at public-private-partnership in Punjab.

Talking to Business Standard, the chairman and managing director of Fortis Healthcare Ltd and SRL-Ranbaxy Ltd, Harpal Singh, said some prime health properties of Punjab were operating at the sub-optimal level and those could be optimally utilised in association with the private sector.

He said Fortis was keen to set up a super speciality facility at Civil Hospital, Amritsar, under the public-private-partnership model.

He said the 150-bed Amritsar Civil Hospital could be expanded to a 300 bed hospital.

Fortis is present in Amritsar with a 150-bed Fortis Escorts Hospital in an area of 3.5 acres on the outskirts of town and a 50-bed hospital in an area of 50,000 square feet in the heart of the town at Ranjit Nagar.

"Having another facility would help us integrate the competencies of the two eixting facilities", says Harpal Singh.

The healthcare major has also shown interest to associate with the upcoming medical college at Jalandhar and Civil Hospital at Bhatinda.

According to Harpal Singh, some other states are interested to partner with Fortis to provide state-of-the-art health facilities in their states but Punjab being close to the hearts of promotors is the first preference.

"At the moment, the process of public-private partnerships is moving at a very slow pace in the state; this is an area of concern and there is an urgent need for action by the state on this front so that the opportunity available to Punjab is not taken away by other states in India", said Harpal Singh.

Fortis is running 10 hospitals with 1,600 beds and aims to have 25 with 5,000 beds by 2008.

The corporate healthcare player is aiming to have a pan-India presence in the next three years.

Fortis Escorts would commnece operations by May next year and the company is looking at various propositions to start a super speciality hospital in Bangalore.

EXPANSION TRAJECTORY

Fortis keen to set up a super speciality facility at Civil Hospital, Amritsar, under the public-private-partnership model

Fortis is present in Amritsar with a 150 bed Fortis Escorts Hospital in an area of 3.5 acres on the outskirts of the town, a facility which can be extended to300 beds

The healthcare major has also evinced interest to associate with the upcoming medical college at Jallandhar and Civil Hospital at Bhatinda

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