DM Healthcare on $600m expansion drive in Middle East, India

The first phase of Aster Medcity, a key green field project coming up in Kochi at Cheranallur - an easily accessible location for local and international community, as part of the expansion plans, will be commissioned by October 2013 as scheduled, disclosed DM Healthcare chairman Dr. Azad Moopen. He was in the City to take part in the three-day Global Healthcare Summit.

"Integrating nature with healing, Aster Medcity offers a General Hospital of 540 beds and Clinical Support Centres flanked by 9 Centres of Excellence (COEs). The construction is on the track and we hope to commission it in the second half of this year itself," he said.

As part of the ambitious plans for Kerala, the group is investing Rs 500 crores for the Aster Medicity, Rs. 250 crores for Wayanad Medical College and WIMS Hospital and Rs 100 crore for a 200-bed multispecialty hospital in Kannur presently. Phase 2 of Medcity and expansion plans of MIMS (Malabar ... ) will add another Rs. 1,200 Crores.

"The DM network presently consists of 145 establishments treating 20,000 patients per day. The Group has a big expansion in the GCC and India with the number of units set to grow to 300 by the year 2017 with investments of US$600 million across Middle East and India, We are led by our motto of Care Beyond Boundaries and this is the philosophy for our expansions," the chairman said.

Built across one kilometer long waterfront on 40 acres at Cheranallur, Medcity will cover a 3.2 million square feet built-up area in the first and second phase of its development. The Hospital will offer 540 beds in Phase 1 and 500 beds in Phase 2.

"With high-end infrastructure, cutting edge technology and excellent knowledge partnership where care is delivered with compassion, Aster Medcity is a conglomeration of many multi-super specialty hospitals in one campus. We have initiated intellectual and operational partnerships with international healthcare establishments M/s. Johns Hopkins Medicine International, USA and M/s. The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Canada etc. in bringing international quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to local community at the Metro City of Kochi, the commercial capital Gods of Country and capitalizing the potential of the state as a destination for health tourism. The supports and encouragements extended by the local Govt. Authorities and local community are really appreciable, in developing such an infrastructure in the town," Dr. Moopen said.

Aster Medcity shall have a 500 seat medical convention centre, hotel and serviced apartments, staff accommodation for medical and para-medical staff, high-class residential development for an expected township population of 10,000.

Apart from the Aster General Hospital, Aster Medcity shall have Centres of Excellence (COEs) in Cardiac, Ortho and Oncology to start with. Further centres of excellence shall be added gradually.

DM Healthcare also operates 3 Hospitals in Kolhapur, Pune and Nasik in Maharashtra in India. Consolidated under the brands, "Aster" and "Medcare", the Group covers an array of more than 145 healthcare establishments under Hospitals, Medical Centres, Diagnostic Centres and Pharmacies verticals with its footprint firmly established across the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East and across India.

DM Healthcare is known for its charitable and not for profit initiatives under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, routed through the umbrella of DM Foundation. The main focus of DM Foundation is charity and philanthropy and materializing the commitments to the society by "Giving Back Initiative (GBI)". Being an organisation involved almost exclusively in the business of healthcare promoted by a doctor, who has proudly earmarked his 20% of personal wealth for the poor and needy, recognized by the Govt of India by its 4th important civilian award - Padma Shree in year 2010, DM Healthcare (www.dmhealthcare.com) has witnessed the difficulties faced by the poor and needy, to access even basic healthcare due to lack of resources and are making lots of innovative activities to address the gap.