Expansion

Columbia Asia Opens Its Kolkata Hospital

The Group will pump in $ 15 million to expand in all metros in the country

Malaysia based multi-national hospital chain Columbia Asia Hospitals has opened its hospital in Kolkata, the fourth in the country. Columbia Asia already has two hospitals operational in Bangalore and one at Gurgaon, in the National Capital Region. Speaking at the launch of the Kolkata hospital, Tufan Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Columbia Asia Private Limited said, "Columbia Asia has invested to the tune of $5 million for the 100-bedded Hospital at Salt Lake, Kolkata." Speaking to Express Healthcare Ghosh said, "We are very much interested in setting up more hospitals in tier-II cities of West Bengal and other parts of East and North-east India." But he declined to comment further on the locations.

'We would rather wait and watch how the market grows and then act accordingly,' he commented. Ghosh, who had earlier worked in the hospitality sector, said, Columbia Asia focuses on the urban middle-income group and encourages day surgeries and minimum length of hospitalisation to cut treatment costs by 30 per cent." The Columbia Asia chain has a wide presence in Malaysia and Vietnam and is promoted by a team of Seattle, US-based NRI investors. The Group is consolidating its Asian presence by expanding in Malaysia and setting up new facilities in India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The company, which came to India through 100 per cent FDI route, started its first hospital on the outskirts of Bangalore in 2004. Columbia Asia would launch two more hospitals in Bangalore in the next two years.

Having tested the Indian market, Columbia Asia has now drawn up an aggressive plan for expansion. Columbia Asia expects to invest $15 million (excluding the cost of real estate) over the next two years. Columbia Asia has aggressive growth plans throughout Asia, with great emphasis on India."The growth of the domestic healthcare industry in the last five years has been phenomenal and would spur the next big boom in health insurance," he said. Dr Nandakumar Jairam, Chairman and Group Medical Director, Columbia Asia Hospitals Private Limited, said, "The next 10 years in healthcare should be very exciting." In addition to the multi-specialty hospital in Kolkata, the organisation is in the process of opening two more new hospitals in Bangalore and Gurgaon shortly. Arindam Banerjee, General Manager, Columbia Asia Hospital, Kolkata said, "The new multi-speciality hospital will provide specialised care mainly in gastroenterology, gynaecology, dermatology, endocrinology, minimally invasive surgery, orthopaedic surgery, non-invasive cardiology and others."

The state-of-the-art hospital is equipped with the modern facilities and equipment.

Apart from this, Columbia Asia has already started the process of short-listing five more cities in India for its expansion plans over the next five years.

Joy Roy Choudhury