Manipal Cure and Care launches first Bangalore center

Bangalore, Feb 22 (ANI/Business Wire India): Manipal Cure and Care [MCC], India's first comprehensive health and wellness centre, today commenced its retail operations in Bangalore with the inauguration of its first 10,500 sq ft outlet at Koramangala in a neighbourhood street format.

Anil Kumble, Indian Test Cricket Captain, dedicated the center to the citizens of Bangalore. Dermalogica, the worlds No.1 professional skin care brand, was launched at MCC centre by Gibson G Vedamani, CEO, Retailers Association of India.

Wellness and preventive medicine is expected to exceed 1.5 trillion USD by 2010 in the US alone but is yet to be seriously looked at in India.

MCC's pioneering initiative will fill this gap by offering a mix of world-class products and services in preventive, wellness and beauty care customised for each individual based on his/her lifestyle and family medical history.

The MCC centers have consultant doctors from the fields of General Medicine, Dermatology, Dentistry, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Endocrinology and Lab Medicine among others.

MCC plans to introduce more than 400 leading product lines from across the world, including cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals that are clinically researched and manufactured at FDA approved plants. Each product category will have a unique USP. Besides, MCC centres also have a well-stocked pharmacy.

MCC also introduced Dermalogica today - the world's No. 1 professional skin care brand developed by the International Dermal Institute and used by professional skin therapists worldwide. The launch is part of MCC's commitment to bring in a new product line every 90 days and innovative technologies every 180 days.

Dr. Ranjan Pai, CEO, Manipal Education and Medical Group, said, "We see a huge opportunity in the health and wellness segment to extend our leadership in healthcare and healthcare education to the booming retail sector. We will offer evidence-based preventive, wellness and beauty solutions in a friendly retail environment. We plan to open our own 50 centers by 2011 and will look at further expansion in Indian and global markets through a franchise model under sub brands Mask, Smile, Xpresscare and Foot Solutions and our own private labels".

Somnath Das, Chief Operating Officer, Manipal Cure and Care, said, "We have a four-pronged strategy to introduce this concept of Health and Wellness in India. Our competitive differentiators are introducing new products every 90 days and technologically advanced services every 180 days. These will be seconded by proven world class technology, service and counselling by qualified doctors and paramedical staff. To back these, we have instituted award winning protocols and processes along international best practices and a staff trained by renowned Oscar Murphy Institute to deliver highly personalised in-store experience for each and every guest."

On the Preventive side, MCC introduces health checks with a turnaround time of 45 minutes for diabetic care, liver care, STD screening, Rheumacare, kidney care and lung care, meant for busy professionals. Comprehensive Health Checks are also available for men, women and children that take less than half the usual time taken by a hospital.

Wellness services include immunizations, antenatal care, baby care, adolescent care, eye care, hormonal management, dietary counselling and sexual health advice. Additionally, there are specialized dietary counselling and weight management services.

Beauty services include skin care and dental care as well as skin piercing.

MCC has introduced many new things for the first time in India. These include A-M-P-L-E Card (Allergies, Medical History, Past History, List of Medication, Emergency Number), EMR (Electronic Medical Record), Integration of CIMS (Cumulative Index of Medical Specialties - pharmaceutical drug interaction alert) with EMR, Customer Charter and error proofing methodology to name a few. This is drawn from the rich experience of MEMG in healthcare delivery spanning over half a century and spread over three countries.

MCC is the winner of the prestigious Golden Peacock Award for Innovative Product / Service Award - 2007. For the first time, this award has been bestowed to a health and wellness retail brand, that too within five months of its launch.

MCC Centres are established in two different formats across malls and neighbourhoods or high streets. The MCC centers will be open throughout the week, with extended hours for convenience.

Manipal Cure and Care was formed in January 2007 with a seed capital of Rs 50 Crores and launched its first centre in India at Ahmedabad in August last year.

MCC plans to launch ten centres in cities like NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Baroda and Hyderabad in the next six months. This includes a second centre in Bangalore (at Total Mall, Sarjapur road) later this year.

ANI