Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH), the Bangalore-based hospital promoted by Dr Devi Shetty, is setting up a chain of neighbourhood clinics.
These speciality clinics and diagnostic centres will also have facility for cancer early detection.
The clinic will screen people for most health issues. The group is planning to ultimately have a chain of 10 such speciality clinics across the city. The out-patient service is provided by professionals and staff from Narayana Hrudayalaya.
In the first phase, it has set up five such clinics, including one clinic each at HSR Layout, CMH Road, M S Ramaiah Hospital and Kumara Krupa Road. Narayana Hrudayalaya is looking to ultimately invest Rs 1 crore on an average in each of the clinic.
“We want to make it a pleasant experience for people walking into the clinics. It will not be like walking into a hospital where there are a lot of patients in pain around. Many people also do not like to visit hospitals. So we are going to them,” said Dr Devi Shetty.
It is being called the next level in health and wellness. Manipal Health Systems had set up its chain of health wellness clinics branded as Manipal Cure and Care.
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According to market sources, these clinics will act as captive centres for securing patients for the Narayana Hrudayalaya which is located far away from the city centre. Its distance has been a deterrent to people visiting it. According to Dr Vijay Singh, medical superintendent, Ramaiah Narayana Hrudayalaya (RNH), “The city centres (clinics) will allow people to walk in with a health issue and after diagnosis, if there is need for a higher-end treatment, they can visit Narayana Hrudayalaya.” RNH is a hundred-bed cardiac care centre run by Narayana Hrudayalaya in M S Ramaiah Hospital in Bangalore.
For the expansion from five to ten clinics, the group is looking to acquisitions or a model where they will manage the clinics. The only hurdle to the expansion is the non-availability or lack of targets for acquisitions.
Meanwhile, Narayana Hrudayalaya also plans to have a chain of dental clinics. It has already set up five clinics and has 25 dental chairs. These clinics will be manned by specialists and other staff from Narayana Hrudayalaya.
The group is funding the project from its internal accruals.
The hospital chain, which has been speaking of aggressive expansions today has over 4,500 beds spread across six cities in the country, aims to have 2,000 beds in the first year. The group will increase its capacity to 6,000 beds in the next 18 months and to 10,000 beds in three years and some 25,000-30,000 beds in the next 5-6 years, said Dr Shetty.