Aster DM Healthcare to launch South Asia’s largest quaternary care destination in India
To invest $300 million in the facility to be spread over 40 acres employing 2000 doctors
Aster DM Healthcare, the leading healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East and India headquartered in Dubai will launch the phase 1 of Aster Medcity, South Asia’s largest quaternary care hospital in Kochi-Kerala, India in the first quarter of the year.
The Aster Medcity is a conglomeration of several super specialty hospitals in one campus that spreads over 40 acres of land along one kilometer waterfront, aimed at integrating nature with healing. Dubbed unique as a global healthcare model with high end infrastructure, cutting edge medical technologies and excellent knowledge partnership with healthcare innovators from different parts of the world, the iconic medical city will be a major healthcare destination in the South Asia once it’s operational.
As Kochi is well connected to the Middle East and several countries of the world, the 1,100 bed capacity medical city will be within easy reach of local and international communities, especially the people from the Middle East, Africa and European Union for advanced and cost effective care. The state of the art quaternary care referral hospital cluster is being developed at an estimated investment of USD 300 million. The Aster Medcity will capitalise the potential of the Kerala as a health tourism destination, attracting patients from all around the world and promoting reverse brain drain of Indian healthcare professionals.
The Group currently owns and operates a network of more than 175 units across the GCC and India covering an array of healthcare verticals from clinics, medical centers, diagnostic centers, hospitals, pharmacies, medical college, modern medical city to a healthcare consultancy service and a charitable foundation. Consolidated under its corporate umbrella, ASTER DM Healthcare owns a range of brands including ACCESS, ASTER, MEDCARE, DM WIMS, ASTER Medcity and MIMS Hospital. The multitude of health facilities including 11 hospitals offer primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary care in order to meet requirements of people from a cross section of the society
Commenting on the Group’s new launching projects in the UAE and India, Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said, “We are extremely proud to announce the launch of our new hospital projects, aimed at providing care to people from all sections of the society. This is part of our strategy to lead the change in the healthcare sector by being the largest healthcare provider in the region and beyond. We will soon unveil Aster Medcity, which significantly focuses on promoting health tourism sector in Kerala, India. The project will not only support the medical requirements of the state and the nation, but will also act as a premium medical tourism destination in India, in addition to providing a platform for knowledge sharing in the healthcare sector.”
“Aster DM Healthcare significantly contributes to the UAE’s medical sector giving priority to raise the standards of medical practice. We have about 1,200 beds under construction. The number of units under the Group is set to grow to 300 units by the year 2017, and we are looking at further investment opportunities in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We are also working ahead to be at the forefront of the industry, being a global healthcare player in the next 12 years by spreading our wings onto several other geographies,” he added.
“The green field project, ASTER Medcity located at Cheranallur in Kochi, will cover a 3.2 million Sqft built-up area in its first and second phases of the development. In the first phase, Aster Medcity will have a 575 bed master hospital, flanked by nine Centers of Excellence (CoE) for different super specialties. The second phase will see an addition of 500 beds to the facility along with a Medical Convention Centre, a 4-star hotel and serviced apartment complex, staff accommodation for medical and paramedical professionals all in one campus,” Dr. Moopen further said.
Aster Medcity will have a pool of internationally recognised doctors, researchers and medical professionals migrating back to India with their wealth of global expertise, skills and exposure to the advanced knowledge garnered from top-ranked medical institutes across the world. Meanwhile, Aster Medcity will provide the best international standard treatments at the lowest cost in the subcontinent.
A workforce of approximately 2,000 specialty doctors and other staff will be deployed for patient care in the first phase of the project. A high-end residential facility of about 1.5 million Sqft. is also planned with an integrated township to accommodate a population of about 10,000 people. Aster Medcity will have intellectual and operational partnerships with international healthcare establishments like Johns Hopkins Medicine International- USA and The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto Canada etc. This will facilitate bringing international quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to the local community as well as the people travelling to Kerala, which is popularly known as ‘Gods own Country’.
Offering a wellness oriented treatment, ASTER Medcity will be recognised as a preferred healthcare destination in Asia, considering the strategic positioning of Kochi a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea to the other parts of the world. The exotic port city, being the financial capital of Kerala and an important centre for both trade and tourism in the state, has an entire web of well connected air, land and sea routes, and wonderfully aligned with natural beauty and greenery. The Cochin International Airport, one of the best airports in India, provides extremely convenient and hassle-free air connectivity for the people traveling in from the entire globe.
