Healthcare Boom_ India Today

Print Close Cover Story India Today Cover Story StoryHealthcare boom Damayanti Datta | April 1, 2010 | 20:32 There's a time for everything. For Dr Ramakanta Panda, it was time to build a 'modern hospital' in India. As a cardiac surgeon from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, US, he was known for his super-safe hands. But his ideas proved too radical for the design team. Whoever heard of picture windows to ward off ICU psychosis? Or counselling areas for patients' relatives? How would cafeteria, convenience store, library, public booth, Internet access, and hotel-like front desk create a "healing experience"? As modernity clashed with convention, Panda whisked the team off to the US to show at first hand what modern hospitals look like. Awed by his passion and armed with 5,000 photographs, they returned to translate his dream into concrete: the Asian Heart Institute (AHI) in Mumbai. Seven years later, Panda, known today as "the prime minister's surgeon", is busy planning yet another AHI. "A modern hospital focuses entirely on patient satisfaction," he says. "India didn't have that culture then. But it's quite standard now," he smiles. Indeed it is. BLEEDING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY, WONDER DRUGS AND STAR FACILITIES ARE THE HOSPITAL MANTRA NOW A massive boom in private hospitals is changing the nation's health delivery landscape beyond recognition. New hospitals are mushrooming, even in smaller towns, and leading healthcare entrepreneurs with deep pockets are expanding their empires, often overseas. The scent of big money is in the air. It's capturing the dreams of young entrepreneurs. It's making seasoned business leaders look for an edge in marketing healthcare in a new avatar. It's giving doctors the choice and option of moving from green to greener pastures. At the root is the new-age patient who wants the best treatment money can buy. Bleeding-edge technology, wonder drugs and star facilities are now the hospital mantra. Healthcare systems are usually large, complex and slow to respond to change. But the surge of new ideas, approaches and institutions is melting away the age-old barriers to change. India is writing a new chapter of growth. "Have a chat with hospital CEOs and you'll notice that they increasingly talk about the great Indian growth story and how that translates into robust growth for the healthcare industry in India," says Seema Chaturvedi, MD of Accelerator Group, a strategic advisory that has just brought out a hospital CEO survey. She is not surprised. The healthcare market is on an unprecedented high at 16 per cent year on year. From Rs 1,02,600 crore in 2005, it now clocks Rs 2,00,000 crore and is 393 hospitals in India. with cashrich corporates holding 10 per cent of the pie. or tying up with ayurveda vaidyas in Kerala for research on the "science of life." Reddy's affable demeanour turns grave. "The market is booming because the demand completely eclipses capacity.000-crore Medanta Medicity in Gurgaon. Apollo's 200-acre wellness hub in Lavasa or the technology paradise that is Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.000 people. Delhi. When she showed him the PowerPoint.00. building the wellness city at Lavasa. Wockhardt is spending Rs 400 crore in four superspecialties." Dr Prathap Reddy.050 crore now. nobody needs to fight for a piece of the healthcare pie. What's more? About 15 hospital projects are slated to open this year and 90 per cent of them are multi-specialty corporate hospitals funded by private equity funds. Kolkata's Ruby General has a Rs 10-crore expansion plan. 2009. In the metros. Hindujas are foraying into boutique hospitals. up from Rs 85. Kolkata. Rs 300 crore: Apollo Hospital.415 cr Rs 1. Max is expanding by Rs 243 crore. The hospital growth saga is being written at a furious pace. reports a new study by ASSOCHAM and Yes Bank (Healthcare Services in India.415 crore. Multispecialty. asked his sprightly grand-daughter. "There's so much business. McKinsey 2007 Big is Better Despite the meltdown. if you have the money to pay your bill. almost at par with the global benchmark of 35 beds per 10. prevention and longevity". Multispecialty. The private sector. Multi-superspecialty hospital in Shalimar Bagh. Delhi. New Deals "I want you to give me a plan for a wellness city within three days. he gave her 100 days to visit the seven best wellness destinations around the world. Narayana Health City is expanding to other states. Giant new projects are rolling off the line--be it pioneering cardiologist and healthcare entrepreneur Dr Naresh Trehan's Rs 1. where healing. Shalby of Gujarat is opening OPDs across and beyond India. chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group. ASSOCHAM-YES Bank. learning and rejuvenation get coupled with worldclass infrastructure and modern medicine. Rs 200 crore: People International . making it one of the largest service industries in the economy. it's a world full of hectic buzz. It also controls 60 per cent of the 15. Multispecialty. Rs 250 crore: Rockland Hospital. Rs 330 crore: Tata Medical Centre. Gurgaon.000 crore on 15 hospitals. 48. 2009). Upasna." That created the blueprint of new growth for Apollo--be it developing highend hospitals in Maldives. He holds out 15 MEGA PROJECTS IN 2010 Total: Rs 3.500-bed ("Asia's largest hospital") Mumbai's SevenHills. quality hospital beds are blooming. Apollo is planning 32 hospitals in two years. Rs 250 crore: Fortis Hospital. Source: Healthcare Services in India: 2012. Global Hospitals of Hyderabad is charting a health city in Chennai. Bhubaneswar. with one condition: "You have to go to Kerala at the end of the journey.500 crore in 2006 to Rs 1. doubling in size and slated to reach Rs 63.900 crore in 2013 (KPMG. parading top-of-the-line facilities and totalling an eyecatching investment of Rs 3. New Rules. Reddy is once again navigating unexplored terrains. Single specialty offering oncology services. the 1.000 crore: SevenHills Health City. the path ahead.000 crore by 2012.projected to reach Rs 3. 2009). DLF and Fortis are investing Rs 3. The industry employs over four million people. Mumbai. Columbia Asia is setting up 15 new hospitals in India. accounts for 80 per cent of the market--highest in the world. Infrastructure spend is on a staggering growth clip. spoke about today's healthcare consumer--demanding and discerning. Mumbai.5 to 10 million. Jaipur. the group has grown 30-40 per cent year on year and acquired a multispecialty hospital in South Delhi." he says." says Singh. Rs 200 crore: Global Hospital." he points out.the promise of numbers: India needs 1. in fact." says chairman Tina Ambani. Mohali and Bathinda. "Ten years back. Bangalore. Superspecialty. "The health boom is like the motorcycle revolution. obviously." He. coffee kiosks everywhere. health and wellness.000 beds each year for the next 20 years at Rs 50. "We are totally different from our competitors. intelligent and interested in the services offered to him. Today they make nine million and people are still queuing up for more. London. It's a hospital that houses the best of technology--from intra-operative MRI suites to the highend Trilogy radio-therapy equipment." says Dr Trehan. Faridabad. Superspecialty. the man who heads the Fortis hospital network. India may have moved up the healthcare delivery ladder. is busy perfecting a model that no one else has dared to venture into. double the number of doctors from 0.00. Superspecialty. but in orientation.7 million to 1. a pleasure to come to this den of luxury-. Rs 90 crore: Vikram Hospital. East and West can combine. we don't have a single place that's at the cuttingedge not just of technology and treatment but of education and research too. Hospital. After energy. to finedining restaurants. Multispecialty. "Our USP is our commitment to provide maximum care to maximum people. Rs 175 crore: Fortis Hospital. Kolhapur. The key differentiator is the soft side of life. Emami and Shrachi Group of Industries. financial services." he says. It was a moment of introspection that had made Trehan plan a Medicity. who famously delivered cardiac care at Rs 10. wellappointed rooms for patients. Multispecialty. a brand new jewel on Mumbai's skyline. Multispecialty. Rs 60 crore: Eternal Heart Hospital.Agartala. they used to make one million and couldn't sell those. provided we keep the momentum going. Multispecialty. Rs 100 crore: Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City. But one can't possibly reinvent the wheel. Rs 50 crore: Aadhar Hospital.5 million.050 new beds across Dehradun. Young Vision Dharminder Nagar. the chain did not foray outside NCR. cure and prevention. work and leisure. It's. purpose and spirit. "All of us can play this game. the might of the Reliance ADA Group has finally joined the healthcare fray with the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. "That makes us the biggest hospital network in Asia. Kolkata. "Hardware is out. "Delhi and the NCR is not a city but a country. Bhubaneswar. PARAS HOSPITALS Dharminder Nagar started work on Paras Hospitals. The Rs 1.from high-end salons that even work out hair solutions for chemotherapy patients. Dr Devi Prasad Shetty. triple the number of nurses from 0. Within five years.service NEW AGE TECHNOLOGY CHANGING with a smile as well as the THE FACE OF THE OT best of technology." says Singh. Multispecialty. "I built Escorts two decades back because at that time there were very few places in India that offered world-class treatment and technology. Gurgaon. Rs 90 crore: ILS Hospital. He studied hospital and health systems at Imperial College." says Shivinder Singh. His hospital chain offers both-. But finally it's planning to branch out across North India--with 1.8 million to 2. Max India boss Analjit Singh had once famously said. "We intend to grow organically and through greenfield expansions. four times the number of paramedics from 2." But Trehan's latest foray into healthcare hardly resembles a mass-produced motorcycle. "Even now.000-crore Medanta Medicity has a blueprint that's as unique as it's new--not just in look or feel. telecom and entertainment.5 million." he says. Medicity is a new model where application and knowledge. art not just on the walls but also on the floors. Multispecialty. Hyderabad and Mumbai." The Fortis Group truly shows the might of private players with the hospital buying binge it has entered into--Escorts Heart Institute in 2005 for Rs 600 crore. "As healthcare providers to Doing Good Profitably . Superspecialty. Bhopal.000 crore per year. especially in cancer care. The Rs 70-crore needed for his dream venture was managed through a debt equity of 1:1. scores of hospitals in Bangalore. So long. But its aspiration is clearly global. The group initially focused on expanding aggressively pan-India through organic and inorganic growth. Rs 120 crore: AMRI. in 2005. Kolkata. but there's still a very real gap in the market. "It's this first hand experience as a practitioner in London hospitals that inspired me to bring international quality healthcare to India. 10 Wockhardt hospitals for Rs 909 crore last year and now 24 per cent of Singapore's Parkway holdings last month. Rs 200 crore: Asian Institute of Medical Sciences. the difficulty in distinguishing between diseased and healthy brain tissue was addressed with a follow-up MRI scheduled a day or so after the surgery. In 2006. So. was launched at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Max chain in Delhi. and Dr Veerendra Hiremath. a unique model of affordable hospital network in under-served tier II and III towns. the most advanced technology to treat brain tumours with utmost precision. Vaatsalya runs at eight locations in Karnataka.400 cr is the value of the wellness market. Surgeons could operate on a brain tumour. Driven by the rising healthcare demands and spending power of India's affluent generation. Reliance and Apollo have recently joined the fray. Wipro.000 patients a month. slated to clock Rs 300. In cases where residual tumour remained. A new FICCI-Ernst & Young study predicts 15-20 per cent growth for the Indian medical equipment market. set up Vaatsalya. making it one of the largest service sectors in the economy 16% is the rate at which the healthcare sector is growing year on year 1 lakh beds each year for the next 20 years at Rs 50.They decided to address this demand-supply gap. Sunita Maheshwari." he says. Not surprisingly. we benefit from economies of scale.000 cr per year is what India needs 60% of the 15. In the past. Now with the Indian health imaging market expected to double from the existing Rs 1. competition is brewing up. close to the global CARDIOLOGY IS SHAPING UP AS A PRIME AREA OF HOSPITAL EXPANSION .000 crore is the size of the industry. 35.575 crore in the next five years. US. growing at 50 per cent year on year." Dr Ashwin Naik. the group has created a Rs 250-crore cancer hospital in association with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon. we accessed scans from a hospital across town which were transmitted electronically to us. "During night shifts. a host of private hospitals--from Medanta to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital to the Asian Heart Institute-would have acquired the latest in neurosurgery innovation. her response was instant: "That is a space-age concept. where it would be daytime. When he told his wife. New Prospects Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of diagnostic scans and Xrays from one location to another to facilitate their reporting. the highest in the world 4 mn people are employed. That delay between surgery and followup MRI could now be eliminated with iMRI. focusing on the mother and child. we serve a market that no one else wants to touch.000 people in the metros.000 crore now to Rs 22.Dr Ashwin Naik "Doctors from rural districts rarely go b ack to their roots. a decision had to be made about whether another operation was a viable option. medical technology looks set to enter a golden age.000 crore by 2012 80% of the market is in private hands.393 hospitals and 80% of all qualified doctors are in the private sector Rs 5." But the couple anyway put down their savings and started working from home through the Internet for US clients. How does the socially-inclusive model work? "We do over 10 per cent of all heart surgeries in India. offers about 520 beds and sees 20.500 crore by 2012. 70% is sought from the private sector 32 quality beds per 10. Asia's first high field strength intra-operative MRI (iMRI). private hospitals are taking the lead in introducing the latest technological wonders and creating milestones in treatment. By 2010." And Shetty's aim is to add 20. the working class and the poor." But the idea of starting a company came later when he met a radiologist friend in the US by chance.000 hospital beds in the next five years across states. "I began to think that the same thing could be done from India. also a Yale medic. 37. Facts that count Rs 200. New Technology. growing at a fast clip of 35% a year 5% of household income goes to healthcare. To treat the rising tide of cancer patients. But Telerad holds 90 per cent of the market share in the country. slated to grow from Rs 9. slide the MRI into the surgical suite for a scan and immediately assess whether more surgery is needed." he says. The idea struck Dr Arjun Kalyanpur while working at the Emergency Room at the Yale School of Medicine. calls came once in six months. Delhi.one of the very few hospitals in North India with such a device--Pandey has also brought in state-of-the-art systems--PET-CT. "Today. Tops Air Rescue 60 in Mumbai) or aviation companies (Deccan and now Religare Voyages). From the cutting-edge Varian Trilogy machine-.000 per hour) and lack of insurance cover. head of air rescues at Escorts. But the new generation birthing centres mushrooming across the country are turning that conventional wisdom upside down. minimal invasive surgery. they are all across-. is no longer the only hospital flying critically-ill patients to and fro. Not just the metros. 5-10 times higher salary rates are being offered by corporate hospitals to doctors 63% hospital CEOs think getting trained manpower will be a challenge in future 29% CEOs believe lack of consistent policy on accreditation hinders growth New Technologies Robotic Surgery A mechanical unit with arms and tiny handlike instruments that the surgeon controls with joss-sticks from a console. Expect waiting-room gridlocks. It was nearly touch-and-go. has always been a sleepy little township despite its proximity to the Capital.Technology is spreading to smaller towns as well. g benchmark of 35 per 10. you thought. Now multispecialties are entering that zone too. Think twiddling your thumbs is your lot as a hospital visitor? At the Oyster & Pearl Hospital in Pune you can spend hours at the cyber café or the massage parlour. we handle over 40 calls from across India and the world every month. Roy awardee who has just started the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS). he thought about the patient with abnormally fast heartbeat he had flown in from Ludhiana that afternoon.000 12% insurance penetration in top 20 cities. For Chandra. But lavish personalised care is not just the forte of high-end birthing centres. "There is a huge demandsupply gap. . for instance. MRI. gamma camera. Pandey. New Service What's that buzz overhead? Dr Nishith Chandra scanned the skies. But at the Fortis La Femme in Delhi." AIMS is gearing up as the first superspecialty focusing on cancer care in the area.000 to Rs 100. The small incisions and extreme . brachytherapy to mammography. New hospitals are stealing the thunder by building roof-top helipads. Check out the 19-storied Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. a luxury car will be at your beck and call. but they had managed to wheel him in to the OT safe and sound. former head of surgery at Escorts and a Dr B. No matter how friendly the ads and cheery the ambience. Bangalore. New Facilities. the waiting area looks more like a bank. Escorts Heart Institute. His dream is to turn the 350-bed multispecialty tertiary care hospital into a flagship hospital in the field of oncology.The business is growing at 50% every year Rs 4. The moment you walk into a hospital. it's all in a day's work. the flavour of orange blossoms hangs in the air. an unmistakable "hospital smell" engulfs you." he says. Pushpanjali Crosslay in Ghaziabad to Sri Hari Health Foundation in Bhiwani. Worried about commuting to and from the hospital? At The Cradle. When Dr Nitin Yende of Mumbai floated Vibha Lifesavers in 1996." he says.from the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune to the Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad. with wait-for-your-turn counters.K. Haryana.C. At Bangalore's The Nest. urology and nephrology. "There is a lack of good infrastructure and quality healthcare services here. Faridabad in Uttar Pradesh. Akshaya Apollo in Ahmedabad." says Dr N. Every hospital worth its salt is dishing out air ambulance services these days. hospitals are not hotels.500 cr is what PE firms invested in Indian healthcare during 2006-10. And it's that promise of being saved in the nick of time that's making more and more patients seek air ambulancing despite the cost (Rs 75. Older hospitals are tying up with private charter (Air Ambulance India lists up 24 hospitals in NCR. For a moment. "It never had good healthcare infrastructure. It's all live and doctors really rely on the images to make accurate decisions. large diagnostic charts. reports and even patient queues will soon be a thing of the past. "intelligent robotics" for cancer--CyberKnife--was brought last year by the Apollo. Flat Panel Digital Cath Lab Cath labs have advanced imaging systems that allow doctors to see the workings of the heart and of tiny blood vessels around it. patient safety and service efficiency. it ensures integrity of diagnostic processes. The latest flat-panel digital detectors don't just capture distortion-free images but also bring the advantage of lower radiation dose to the patient. Chennai. Paperless. a cyberknife system 65-70 crore. clinicians and technologists. Swarup Hospital in Kolhapur has an indigenous method of robotic laparoscopy. Pneumatic Chutes They connect and serve hospital departments. bills. A staple in all modern hospitals today. Care hospital in Hyderabad etc. Almost every specialty hospital in India has introduced the chute. transporting pharmaceuticals. Today used widely across the country: Jaslok and Hiranandani hospitals in Mumbai. A Da Vinci robot costs about Rs 10 crore. lab samples and sensitive medical items at high speed. Narayana Hrudayalaya and Wockhardt Hospitals in Bangalore. Filmless Scribbled notes.precision make it a patient-friendly procedure. Was introduced for cardiac surgery by Escorts in 2001. Done manually once. prescriptions. Hospital workflows-- . Prahalad. "I am an active proponent of this integrated approach. Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai is one of the very few hospitals in India to win ISO. NABL and JCI and other accreditations. went around the world and returned to set up Vaatsalya. New Terrain "Improving the lives of billions of people at the bottom of the economic pyramid is a noble endeavour. Bangalore. wellness and beauty--from health packages to skin care products. especially the wellness to prevention route. doctor and nursing notes. Artemis Health Institute of Gurgaon." he adds. 37. premium exercise machines. inventory management to discharge--are increasingly just a click away. New Models. Max Healthcare. where he used to work. Parvathy Hospital in Chennai--have introduced this fabulously expensive facility. registration. That makes perfect business sense in an age when Generation-X does not want to get into hospitals for services that can be rendered in a "non-sick" environment. New Ethics Dr Ramakanta Panda Asian Heart Institute The 'Prime Minister's surgeon' wanted to replicate the model from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic." says Naik. had an IT budget of Rs 6. look-good care. Today. prescription. "The healthcare business was chaotic and . brought in Asia's first BrainSuite to India." so says management guru C. IMRI & BrainSUITE The technological breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). "Doctors from rural districts rarely go back to their roots. US. Manipal Education and Medical Group. and Dr Veerendra Hiremath. It can also be a lucrative one. who grew up in Hubli. A brainwave of the Manipal Hospital group. Ask Dr Ashwin Naik. They decided to address this demand-supply gap. Hospitals are now finding ways to reach more patients and expand their business. anti-snoring nasal devices to cosmeceuticals. for instance. Today. A separate but fully-integrated operative area is named BrainSUITE. investigations. MCC offers a mix of world-class products and services in preventive. billing. where service standards and the assurance of the genuineness of clinical care would be a significant pull. "They prefer being served in boutique ambience." says Dr Ranjan Pai. iMRI (intraoperative imaging) utilises MRI during surgery to help neurosurgeons determine the success of a procedure by checking real-time images in complicated brain tumour and other brain surgery cases. New business models in Indian healthcare back up that theory. Medanta-Medicity in Gurgaon. a unique model of affordable hospital network in under-served tier II and III towns. Delhi.5 crore when it started in 2007. Modern hospitals are now starting out with hospital information systems in place.from patient consultation. a number of private hospitals--Asian Heart Institute and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospitals in Mumbai. Karanataka. managing director. 35.K. Retail clinics like Manipal Cure and Care (MCC) in Bangalore are unique in that they complement the hospital business by providing feel-good. apart from the general insurance companies focusing on health insurance. Vaatsalya also gets consultants from metros who want to go back to their roots or from local partners.875 crore by 2010. "Today even hygiene value has gone up exponentially.When Vaatsalya started. the evolution of the sector will be slower. What next? "Building up the chain in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Health insurance premium is also increasing by over 20 per cent every year and many stand-alone health insurance companies are coming into the field. Jagannathan." he says. Paras." he points out. The only insurance everyone knew and opted for was life insurance. MD of Sequoia Capital India. . Avendus Capital. in public and private systems. the man who heads Escorts hospital. especially upper middle income groups. That is increasingly a thing of the past.ayurveda. "In the top 20 urban cities. "It's a huge market. was a philanthropist and the founder chairman of Paras Group of Industries. New Money. chairman and MD of Star Health Insurance. "Indians spent money to go to unsanitary places or overseas. both with money and expertise." he says. which has invested Rs 450 crore into healthcare. The health insurance business is growing at 50 per cent and is projected to grow to Rs 25." he adds. executive director. Vaatsalya runs in eight locations in the state. as most medium to large companies have group health insurance schemes. but they definitely insist on adequacy of the cover in most cases. private equity syndicator. especially among people above age 40. With the healthcare boom." says Krishnakumar. Alternative is the new normal now. "What the nation lacked so far was infrastructure." Dr Ashok Seth Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre With his wide experience inside India and around the world. Apollo Munich Health Insurance. Sandeep Singha. Time was when health insurance was not considered a safety net. "My father. Gurgaon in 2005. end-to-end medical management protocol. he is applying contemporary business models to the ancient science of healing." says Antony Jacob. understands the compulsions and restlessness of a market on a roll. "They gave easily because everyone wants to connect to their roots. private equity (PE) funds are upbeat on healthcare and have invested in several health corporates. That's because. He started work on Paras Hospitals. Healthcare requires capital and unless you have PE funding." Rs 900 crore of PE has been invested into Indian healthcare companies in 2010." says Vasudevan. CEO." says V. Health insurance is also being driven by group insurance covers. he explains." points out Singha. often from unexpected backgrounds." Also. focusing on the mother and child. New People without format earlier. Take Dr Dharminder Nagar." he says. Take Rajiv Vasudevan. Emerging trends show that today every middle income family feels that health insurance is a must for them. "This shows the important role played by insurance companies which has driven home the point that health insurance is becoming a very essential part in anybody's life. Not just insurance. according to a study by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. who is hopeful that the business model will attract many more credible players to the industry. The Rs 70-crore venture required for this dream project was managed through a debt equity ratio of 1:1. focus on chronic conditions. The 150-bed hospitals grew from three to seven centres across south and west India last year. Dr Seth. Apart from full-time doctors. founder and CEO of the new-generation AyurVAID Hospitals. the penetration of health insurance is 12 per cent.500 crore in Indian healthcare between 2006 and 2010. Ved Ram Choudhary. AyurVAID operates exactly like a modern hospital--from a huband-spoke approach to insurance coverage. healthcare is a high-growth area that does not get impacted by an economic downturn. they tapped into their NRI friends and family to chip in. "We integrate ayurveda with modern medicine." Venture funds began contributing gradually.000 patients a month. It's the surge of private equity in healthcare that's bringing in young entrepreneurs. health insurance specialist. as infrastructure comes into place. "Perhaps not to the extent of understanding every nitty-gritty of a policy. the private players need to keep one eye on the costs and another on quality. But how crucial a role are the PE firms playing in the healthcare boom in India? "PE firms invested Rs 4. Yet another trend is that executive health check-ups have become more common." they say. From a humble beginning as the owner of a dairy. offers about 520 beds and sees 20. "that will be growing for the next 50 years and the market opportunity is staggering. agrees: "PE is crucial. Take. The hospital has invested heavily in IT infrastructure with Cisco and Nortel networking infrastructure." says Charu Sehgal. Plasma Sterilizer and Maquet Operating Tables. A doctor's field. It has a fully integrated hospital management and information system. Within five years." The Growth Drivers Fortis Hospitals Medanta Medicity Dayanand Medical . London." he adds. hospitals are investing in electronic systems for hospital records. with interests in real estate across north India. designed to manage every aspect of information flow and control across the hospital--right from vendor records to patient data--electronically. is that the patient is king. diagnostics. Today. along with the processing of linen as an integral component of infection control. "Some have 20 different scales and salary systems-. Most large healthcare providers are increasingly focusing on attracting medical tourists. to study hospital and health systems. "Our goal is a paperless office. Even a reputed doctor would have to conform to various marketdriven parameters to justify such a jump. housekeeping and security." says Sehgal. although it has created phenomenal standards in the country. often five to 10-times more than the market rate. New Ethics. "There's a lot of poaching going on. In a resounding testimony to his commitment to quality health delivery. "There are many hospitals which over equip themselves with technology." "It is definitely a segment that the big players have in mind as they make their expansion plans. however. "They consider the returns that we will get by investing on a certain person.5 lakh annual travellers to India increasing at a rate of 30-35 per cent. You cannot make legislation to stop this.with fixed and variable pay. It's a free country. AHI is winning praises and kudos. "It's this first hand experience as a practitioner in London hospitals that inspired me to bring international quality healthcare to India. "Someone in cardiac. "There was no format or organised approach." he says. With easy access to visa facilities. New Quality After all the fuss he made about building his hospital." laughs Seth. "It's a growing segment in India. a 240-bed multispecialty private hospital in Ahmedabad. medical tourism is turning out to be the other potential source of income for the healthcare industry. Body Exhaust System. Not only are people moving out of government hospitals. laundry. But not everyone would be eligible for the top slots. "Where a 64-slice CT scanner is enough. will be able to dictate terms more than a skin specialist. "The private sector has not been able to take technology to the common man. Shalby is also one of the first hospitals in the country to pioneer incorporation of infection control measures like HEPA Filters. Apart from medical technology. "But these are market forces that you have no control over." says Dr Vikram Shah. An unintended consequence of the flourishing healthcare market has been a nation-wide "poaching" of human resources. "A patient doesn't care how much you know. Laminar Air Flow. "A simple brief we recently received was that the hospital should not look like a hospital." he jokes." Experts agree. head of life sciences and healthcare at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India. Delhi. "Apart from generating higher revenues for the hospital--to an Indian patient--a medical tourist also spends 2-3 times more than a normal tourist in the country. hospital planner and a senior consultant with KJWW Engineering. "It is technology that forms the backbone of the paradigm shift in healthcare." he puts it bluntly. "Almost all newer hospitals opt to outsource support services--dietary. It transitioned from a small 15-bed single specialty unit established in 1993 to a technologically-advanced 200-bed multispecialty hospital in 2007. "Healthcare business was a bit of a Munnabhai earlier. with his experience in hospital management. food and dietetics have gone up. Dr Ramakanta Panda is left with a smile on his face today. but cost goes up as technology and treatment options increase. head of Escorts Heart Institute & Research Center. Nagar worked as a doctor in the UK for a while and later joined the Imperial College. But a patient knows how much you care. the main reason behind new-look hospitals is that planning and designing are now widely available to promoters." he adds. with over 2 to 2." endorses Dr Ashok Seth. for instance." he adds. Paras Hospitals started in Gurgaon in 2005. the group has grown 30-40 per cent year on year and acquired a multispecialty hospital in South Delhi.he became the largest milk producer and exporter." adds Hemant Khavle. To Dr Sachin Wagh." The bottomline in salary negotiation. even hygiene value has gone up exponentially. managing director and an orthopaedic surgeon. the Shalby Hospital. after all!" The prime driver is the compensation packages that corporate hospitals offer." The spectrum of catering. corporates are taking from each other too. his reputation capital and his finance-generating capacity will have to tally with the 'needs' of the healthcare corporate. The constant evolution of life-support systems. for instance. expensive third and fourth generation medicines and greater number of devicesrelated surgeries--all come at a cost." he says. people insist on buying 256-slice. Puducherry Total Beds: Over 1. Narayana Hrudayalaya Location: Bangalore Total Beds: Over 3. Tirunelveli. Little Flower Hospital & Yashoda Hospitals Location: Hyderabad Christian Total Beds: Medical 1. Medical College & Hospital Location: Ludhiana Total Beds: 1. Known for service oriented initiatives. USP: The only institution in North India which has an entire floor of ICUs with 100 beds incorporating all the critical care areas. Global Hospitals Location: Hyderabad. specialised services. Total Beds: 900 USP: Organ transplantation.571 USP: Pioneering presence in medical education. high equipped with on charity . top doctors.600 USP: Medanta has 45 operating theatres and over 350 critical care beds. Coimbatore.000-bedded tertiary care teaching hospital in North India. Kasturba Hospital Location: Manipal Total Beds: 1.000 USP: Deep pockets.475 USP: Service to the needy and poor people with care and compassion.500 USP: Traditional hospitality and low cost eyecare treatment. Bangalore and Chennai.Hospitals Locations: 62 hospitals across India. Specialists in ortho. Total Beds: 10.512 treatment in USP: the state using Leveraging on Asia's first highly skilled Rapid Arc global machine network.000 USP: Subsidised cardiac surgeries. One of the key player in medical tourism.200 College USP: Location: Foremost Vellore centre for Total Beds: cancer 2. Arvind Hospitals Locations: Madurai. Total Beds: 3.000 USP: The Apollo Heart Institute is one of the largest cardiovascular groups in the world. Apollo Locations: 50 hospitals across India. Total Beds: 9. Manipal Hospitals Locations: Manipal and Bangalore. Medicity Location: Gurgaon Total Beds: 1. CARE Hospitals Location: Hyderabad Total Beds: 950 USP: Cardiology super specialty. Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre Location: Chennai Total Beds: 900 USP: International technology for Indian patients. Max Hospital Amrita Kerala Location: Institute of Total Beds: Delhi Medical 800 Total Beds: Sciences and USP: 1.820 USP: Accident and emergency department compares with the best. emergency recognised by Ahmedabad and Mundra care. Kokilaben Total Beds: 3.900 Research Registered not USP: Over 225 Centre for profit health ICU beds. New Facilities Air Ambulance . USP: Centre of Karnataka excellence for Total Beds: cardiac care.850 Cochin Sterling Hospitals USP: Total Beds: Expertise in 1. If wishes were horses. There's more: the rich will patronise the private sector. corporates running sensible business models. Healthcare as an industry is coming into its own. Location: USP: Top of the Mumbai Lisie Hospital line technology. laws compelling profit-making organisations to insure all employees. simulators.000 support 1. Location: institution. etc.080 Locations: cardiology. indigenous manufacturers developing cutting-edge technology. doctors compulsorily treating patients free of cost one day a month. That's the dream scenario but the new buzz in the air is contagious and the ambitious projects on the ground and in the pipeline point to an inescapable truism: health is wealth. the MCI for SEZ. with an Location: Mumbai attached SevenHills medical Total Beds: Health City 750 college. world-class Kochi physicians. Baroda. 1. there would be third-party payers subsidising healthcare. bodies standardising procedures and quality. focused on sophisticated the 3D planning marginalised. USP: Hospital Rajkot. the poor will flock to the public sector. universal insurance at Re 1 a day. Hospital & Research Centre Location: Angamaly. while subsidised hospitals under public-private partnerships will provide quality healthcare to the rest at reasonable rates. Belgaum.on charity. Total Beds: Location: 1. junior and KLES Hospital senior House Total Beds: Location: 725 surgency.200 Dhirubhai staff and most USP: Ambani advanced Superspecialty Hospital technologies. Many hospitals like the Apollo. Lavish personalised care was so long the forté of high-end birthing centres. The cost can run into lakhs depending on the distance. premium exercise machines to cosmeceuticals. look-good care. fine dining--to patients who expect country club facilites while in a hospital. wellness and beauty. over 24 in the NCR region alone. will offer everything--from health packages to skin care products.It is the most 'in' thing in the hospital circuit today with almost every super specialty hospital. These clinics. it's a muchneeded service for patients who can't reach hospitals easily or on time. Hospital Retail Clinics Hospitals are now finding ways to reach more patients and expand their business. and Akshaya Apollo. spas.more attention. have their own helipads. Boutique Hospitals More money. a mix of world-class products and services in preventive. designer suites. Ahmedabad. Hyderabad. Now Multispecialties are entering that zone. With top-drawer emergency doctors on-board. Presidential Suites . Retail clinics like Manipal Cure and Care (MCC) in Bangalore are unique in that they complement the hospital business by providing feel-good. Check out two upcoming hospitals of Mumbai-SevenHills in Marol Andheri and PD Hinduja at Khar--that are gearing up to offer this service--green sprawl. offering the service. . with inputs from Stephen David. Vanita Chitkara. Bar-coded OPD card Be it Paras Hospital in Gurgaon or the brand new Desun Hospital & Heart Institute in Kolkata-bar-coded smart cards to track patient details are fast catching the fancy of hospital planners. Vasant Kunj. Artemis in Gurgaon. All clinical appendages are neatly tucked behind sliding artwork to complete the illusion. Complete with patient and family rooms. in Delhi. Kokila Dhirubhai Hospital in Mumbai. The unique computer generated registration number would not only hold good every time the patient visits.html @ Copyright 2011 India Today Group. it might just be possible to forget the reason for getting admitted to a hospital. Nandini Vaish and Ayesha Singh Print Close URL for this article : http://indiatoday. Uday Mahurkar. These are issued the first time a patient visits a hospital. Anand Natarajan. Sagar Apollo in Bangalore or Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune? Well. Nishika Patel. Sharmi Ghosh Dastidar.000-30.000 a day. separate bathrooms. Arvind Chhabra. Amarnath Menon.intoday. WiFi--there's enough room to accommodate personal staff as well. it would also give the hospital instant access to his/her profile. Senthil Kumar. At Rs 25. computer stations. Harsha Bhat.What's common between Fortis. Elora Sen. microwave and refrigerator (sometimes a kitchen). they all have something that was so long associated with business travellers and fivestar hotels: Presidential suites.in/site/story/Healthcare+boom/1/90895.