What are the most distinguishing features of Aster Medcity? How different is it from other quaternary centres in the country?
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Dr Harish Pillai
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Aster MedCity, is an iconic home-grown integrated medical city of international standards coming up in Kochi, Kerala. Spread over 40 acres, Aster Medcity is built across one km waterfront, amidst serene soothing environs that will integrate nature with healing. In the initial phase, at a cost of $ 100 million, Aster Medcity will open with a 575-bed Quaternary Care Hospital with nine Centres of Excellence. In phase ll, an additional 500 beds will be opened along with a Medical Convention Centre, a 4-star Hotel and Apartments.
Aster Medcity is poised to be a boon for medical tourism in India. It will not only support the medical requirements of the state and country but also provide a venue for medical tourism to the country from South Asian countries. This ‘modern healthcare destination’ is equipped with first-of-its-kind advanced technologies that will be capable of treating any disease and will take healthcare in India to international standards. The USP of the multi-speciality hospital will be its harmonious orchestration of the physical and functional autonomy of the individual COES with Emergency and Intensive Care which seamlessly integrates with other clinical and diagnostic facilities. This provides focused care by specialists in a particular department in close coordination with others when required – a Concept of Unity in Diversity.
When will you begin operations in full swing?
A grand launch will take place in the last week of April or first week of May 2014. Typically for a hospital establishment as big as Aster Medcity, a grace period of 45 – 60 days is required to allow testing of facility operations, non-aligned services, staff efficiency, training and coordination.
But why Kochi? Explain about ‘Tier I investment in Tier II city’
Touted as ‘God’s own country’, Kerala is unique in many ways. Having an enviable track record in delivering world standards of healthcare, Kerala has successfully made the leap from leisure tourism to medical tourism by generating the expertise for healthcare with a sustainable model for medical education and developing the environment and infrastructure by offering world-class healthcare at affordable prices. From an investment point of view, Kochi is drawing a lot of investments from various sectors. The city is booming commercially and will witness an Info Park soon. A lot of universities will also start functioning in the next two to three years. The ongoing development on one side along with the natural beauty of Kochi, undoubtedly makes it one of the most beautiful Tier II city. From a future point of view, it makes perfect sense of having a Tier I investment in this city.
Tell us about your investment plans in India? Are you looking at any other verticals in healthcare?
Aster DM Healthcare group plans to invest Rs 300 crores in the Indian market via ‘hub and spoke’ model in Tier II and Tier III cities. There is a possibility to acquire hospitals in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai.
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Tell us how Aster Medcity has been planned from an infrastructure angle? What kind of benefits can the patients look forward to?
To provide clinical outcomes of international standards all under one roof, Aster Medcity will house nine Centres of Excellence (COEs) in various specialities such as cardiology and cardiac surgery, oncology, orthopaedics and spine surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, gastroenterology and haematology, nephrology and urology, paediatrics obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and plastic surgery and aesthetics. It will also focus on specialised divisions which will consist of general medicine, pulmonology, endocrinology, dermatology, general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology and dental along with diabetology and health check-ups.
The USP of the multi-speciality hospital will be its harmonious orchestration of the physical and functional autonomy of the individual COEs with Emergency and Intensive Care which seamlessly integrates with other clinical and diagnostic facilities. This provides focused care by specialists in a particular department in close coordination with others when required – a concept of ‘Unity in Diversity’. The hospital will cater to all segments of patients across a wide spectrum of needs: diseases, emergency conditions and disabilities. A workforce of approximately 1500 team members, including world renowned physicians, expert nursing team and other administrative and support staff will be deployed for patient care. The core competency of the hospital is backed by strong technological investments. The hospital will be equipped with sophisticated operation theatres and high technology quotient to provide enhanced application support to increase work-flow efficiencies in all disciplines. It will also have the highest rated Department of Emergency Medicine with radio controlled rescue systems and teams, and the Unique Water Ambulance System to cater to the unique terrains of Kerala.
How do you plan to target medical tourists through this hospital? Any strategies or packages that are targeted for them? Elaborate.
We have a huge geographical advantage as Kochi is quite close to both South East Asian Countries and the Middle East. We will also be leveraging our group- Aster DM Healthcare’s network of hospitals spread across GCC region and many other locations via information kiosks thus helping in driving traffic. We are also looking at getting referral patients from Africa.
Tell us about your strategies and plans for the current fiscal?
We plan to have a successful grand launch this fiscal, consolidate operations and ensure everyone is aware of the scope of services and the USP it offers.
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