Sky is the Limit

He started his entrepreneurial journey by opening a clinic in Dubai. From a single-doctor clinic in 1990 with four employees to 22 clinics, 45 pharmacies, three hospitals with nearly 3,200 employees, his group has witnessed an exponential growth under his leadership

Dr Azad Moopen (55) Chairman, Dr Moopen's Group

Dr Moopen, born in 1953 at Kalpakanchery in Kerala, did his MBBS and MD in General Medicine from Calicut University and Diploma in Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases from Delhi University.

Why an entrepreneur?

"When I started practicing in Dubai in the 1987, access to primary and secondary care, especially for expatriates, was not satisfactory. In India, it was difficult for people to get quality healthcare at affordable cost. In Kerala, the state famous for good primary care network, most people who required high-end tertiary care treatment were forced to go to metropolitan cities in search of quality treatment. The urge to become an entrepreneur in the healthcare domain was ignited by seeing the need for improving the access to healthcare delivery," shares he.

Before being an entrepreneur

He practiced for nearly 10 years before becoming an entrepreneur. After finishing his MD in General Medicine, he worked as lecturer in the Calicut Medical College for five years. He went to Dubai in 1987 and established practice as a physician by opening a clinic. "Funding for the clinic came from personal and family resources,” says he. At that time, he wanted to be in Dubai for five years and then return to teaching profession in India. "Realising the potential for private healthcare in UAE, I decided to stay back," says he. In 1990, he expanded the clinic in Dubai by adding more doctors and investigative facilities.

The first move

It was in 1995, when his clinic in Dubai started flourishing, that he embarked on a mission to establish a multi-speciality hi -tech hospital at Calicut. Thus, Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) was commissioned in 2001. "For establishing the MIMS Hospital, we could mobilise Rs 45 crore from other doctors, professionals and businessmen in GCC. The bank loan for this was only Rs 15 crore," says he.

Over the years

From a single-doctor clinic in 1990 with four employees to 22 clinics, 45 pharmacies, three hospitals with nearly 3,200 employees, the group has witnessed an exponential growth. "Our turnover has grown from Rs 15 crore in 2004 to nearly Rs 450 crore in 2008," says he.

The first hospital of the group in Dubai was inaugurated at Mankhool and the second hospital of the group was inaugurated at Safa Park area. Dr Moopen's Group currently operates in UAE, Qatar, Oman and India. Their medical centres in Dubai are spread in various prominent places like Bur Dubai, Deira, Karama, Shaikh Zayed Road, Jumeirah, Al Quoz, Al Aweer, Jebel Ali (Gardens) and Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). They are also setting up medical centres along with pharmacies in Dubai which are at different stages of completion.

"In keeping with the concept of total loving care, we started the Neighbourhood Family Clinics-Medcentre— a concept that defines proximity, comprehensiveness and affordability," says he. The Medcentres offer consultation services in general medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, dentistry, cardiology, neurology and endocrinology, along with advanced laboratory and imaging facilities.

Medshop is a unique pharmacy retail concept driven by the theme 'much more than medicines'. "Designed to be one-stop-shop for healthcare products, Medshop offers quality medical and allied products at the best prices. These customer-friendly shops stock a wide variety of cosmetic, nutritional and baby care products. Systematically shelved, they allow easy over-the-counter service. In addition to easy availability of medicines and allied products, medshops have qualified staff who can guide customers on diet, nutrition, medical equipment etc," says he.

The Group also has a Healthcare Consultancy Division— Euro Healthcare Systems Fz. LLC, based at Dubai Health Care City (DHCC), which provides consultancy services to organisation wanting to establish facilities.

He considers quality as a major cornerstone in the strength of the Group. The MIMS hospital at Calicut was the first mullti-speciality hospital in India to be accredited by NABH in 2007. Group's premium hospital in Dubai, the Medcare Hospital, was accredited by JCIA just after six months of inauguration in 2008. The Medinova Diagnostic Centre, the diagnostic arm of the Group in Dubai, is the first standalone laboratory in the Middle East to be accredited by JCI. The Medshop division is member of the Dubai Quality Appreciation programme.

Awards

He has received many awards, the latest being the Kerala Ratna Award in 2008.

Fears and apprehensions

He was confident of the success of the clinic in Dubai. "But establishing MIMS was a challenge looking at the financial and management risks involved, especially as I was doing this on remote control," says he.

Overcoming roadblocks

“The challenge of establishing and running the 300-bed MIMS Hospital in absentia. This was overcome by having a committed and passionate team involved in the activity," says he.

Mistakes made and lessons learnt

"Failure to expand more aggressively to become the number one player in the geographies where one is active," says he.

Any formal degree in management?

"No. I feel that for entrepreneurs, it is not a must to have any formal degree, but having one is of help in honing their inherent qualities," says he.

Tips for entrepreneurship

"Have a goal with time lines, put together a dedicated and passionate team and master the art of delegation," he suggests.

An entrepreneur that he admires in healthcare

“Dr Prathap C Reddy as he is the pioneer in private healthcare domain in India,” says he.

The road ahead

He wants the group to be a leading player in India and GCC with 25 hospitals, 100 clinics and 200 pharmacies. "We want to triple our turnover in five years," he wishes. He has rolled out a seven-year roadmap with a ‘Vision 2015’ declaration for investing in India and the GCC countries. The sum of Rs 1,500 crore has been allotted for building a MedCity in Kerala, an array of greenfield projects and acquisitions across India and constructing 10 hospitals and 50 clinics and pharmacies in the GCC countries. The fund fuelling this expansion will mainly come from DM Healthcare, a Joint Venture (JV) that was inked in January this year between Dr Moopen's Group and India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA), a premier private equity firm. All the new entities created under this JV will have the brand name of DM Healthcare, which has already set up its base in Mumbai.