Columbia Asia, which claims to be the first international hospital chain to make it to India, will open its community healthcare hospital in Hebbal in a few days to cater to north Bangalore.
The 75-bed hospital will be the first of the three hospitals the chain plans to open in the city by 2007. The other two will be in Yeshwantpur and one on Sarjapur Road. With Bangalore being "cities within a city" it is logical to have smaller facilities in the city to cater to the different parts of the city than one large facility for all citizens, said Tufan Ghosh, CEO, Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal.
The US-based group, which claims to have hospitals in Malaysia and Vietnam, will eventually invest upto $15 million in Bangalore (excluding the cost of real estate) over the next two years. The group will over time target metros like Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and also tier I and tier II cities.
On Columbia Asia, Dr Nanda Kumar Jairam, group medical director, Columbia Asia said, "Despite being world class and having our main investors from the US (they are not of Indian origin), we will be less expensive than the other large private hospitals in the country because of our format."
The hospital has only 75 beds as patients will not be encouraged to stay for long and also to ensure that the hospital is not crowded. Prices will be comparable to the lower levels of the corporate hospitals.
The hospital group hopes to target the middle and upper middle classes of north Bangalore. "This part of the city is underserviced by good hospitals. This hospital will make up for this," said Dr Jairam.
With over 40 doctors on its staff and over 175 nursing and paramedical personnel, the hospital chain hopes to expand its horizons.
Healthcare tourism is also within the group's sight. "But, the local population comes first," asserts Dr Jairam, adding, "once we have met the needs of the local population we will definitely consider this option."
