Fortis Healthcare to launch hospitals in Hyderabad & Agra

Fortis Healthcare has announced the launch of 2 new hospitals in Hyderabad and Agra. With these new hospitals, the total number of hospitals in its network will increase to 68, and the total number of beds will increase to 10600.

The one in Hyderabad is a super specialty hospital with 150 beds, while the one in Agra will be a cardiac care centre with 450 beds. Both these hospitals will be operational in FY13. 

The Indian healthcare sector is currently growing rapidly due to the rise in income levels, increased awareness about healthcare in the public, growth in the insurance sector as well as medical tourism. One of the reasons that the hospitals business presents a good opportunity is that the Indian population is moving from acute illnesses to lifestyle diseases. This shift has been mainly due to the eating habits of people, increased depression levels, stresses in the work environment, etc.  

The Indian healthcare industry is a $36 billion industry that is growing at the rate of 15%. Already, there is good competition in the healthcare market. There are already some big brands like Apollo Hospitals, Wockhardt Hospitals, Max Healthcare, etc., especially in the metros.

With a stronger economy, there will be an increased flow of patients to the hospitals, and one can expect good capital appreciation opportunities in this sector. Besides, healthcare is among the most important services for people. This is evident from the stock price of Fortis Healthcare, which has given over 40% returns since the year 2008.