By IANS,
New Delhi : Apollo Hospitals Ltd, one of the leading hospital chains in the country, Saturday announced it will invest Rs.15.5 billion to expand its operations.
Apollo will open 30 cradles (speciality maternity homes) and about 250 clinics, and extend its hospital network to 30 new small towns and villages, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd chief executive Ratan Jalan told reporters here on the sidelines of Franchise India-2008, a franchise and retail event.
“The cradles are a premier facility with each costing about Rs.150 million excluding the land price. We plan to open these in metros and major towns,” he said.
Apollo now has about 50 primary care clinics in major cities, and is planning to spread its presence to tier II and III towns. “Most of the expansion for Apollo clinics will happen through the franchisee route. Each clinic costs around Rs.20 million and we will add about 250 of these,” Jalan said.
He added that the network’s expansion in rural areas will take place under the Apollo Reach Hospitals brand. These medical facilities will have 100-bed capacity and require Rs.200 million investment each.