Wockhardt to set up 15 more hospital within 15 months

Gandhinagar, June 13 (UNI) Mumbai-based Wockhardt Hospital plans to set up 15 more hospitals across the country within a period of 15 months, the hospital Chairman Habil Khorakiwala said.

Mr Khorakiwala later told reporters here this evening that to raise the funds needed for these projects, we are awaiting the SEBI clearance for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which would probably hit the market this year.

He said Wockhardt, one of the major corporate hospital group in the country, presently runs ten hospitals in major cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Nagpur.

''We are planning to expand our presence to Tier-II cities and will soon commission a superspeciality hospital in Rajkot and a heart hospital in Surat. We also plan to set up a hospital in Bhavnagar having a critical care facility with intensive care unit for emergency patients,'' he added.

Mr Khorakiwala said, ''Our initiative to manage the Palanpur Civil Hospital under public-private partnership would definitely act as a model for other states to follow as Wockhardt Hospital is committed to providing world class professional treatment with care.'' UNI