Fortis Hospitals, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Ltd, is set to expand its footprint across the country. The group will start 8 to 10 more hospitals in the next two years, apart from scouting for inorganic growth opportunities in eastern India.
“Eight to 10 more hospitals are in the pipeline for the next 24 months — including Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Hyderabad and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. We are looking for acquisitions also,” said Shivinder Mohan Singh, managing director of Fortis Healthcare, in Kolkata on Sunday.
The company expects to add 2,000 more beds to its portfolio in the next two years. Fortis will set up hubs in tier I cities of the country and will expand to the rural parts keeping it as the centre, he added.
“In this part of the country, we would like to make Kolkata the hub and spread our presence to rural areas,” Singh said. It plans to expand its presence in Eastern India through acquisitions and management contracts.
“Some small healthcare providers in the region have approached us regarding this. They either want to acquire their facilities or to manage them. We are seriously thinking about some of those in tier II cities like Siliguri, Burdwan and Guwahati,” said Lloyd Nazareth, chief Operating Officer of Fortis Hospitals.
“In terms of healthcare, the region has been subserved, hence we want to upgrade Kolkata to be a medical hub for not just eastern India but for neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar too,” said Vishal Bali, Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Global Healthcare.
As an initial step, Fortis Hospitals commissioned the first phase of its 414-bed hospital at Anandapur on EM Bypass here on Sunday.
“During the first phase, we will have 250 beds, the second phase will start functioning within three months. The 12-storey building has been built on 1.5 acres at a cost of Rs 170 crore,” Bali said.