Paras Healthcare recently launched Paras Bliss, a dedicated mother and child facility in Panchkula, Haryana. Dr Dharminder Nagar, MD, Paras Healthcare speaks about the hospital group’s plans to expand it as a chain of mother and child care centres and their strategy to expand their footprint across North India, in an interview with Lakshmipriya Nair
Paras Healthcare recently launched Paras Bliss, a dedicated mother and child facility in Panchkula. How is it different from its counterparts in the country?
Motherhood is not just about delivering a child. It is an experience and a journey which can be enriched and augmented at each step by providing specialised offerings and care. With Panchkula, Paras Healthcare would like to introduce its chain of specialised mother and child care facilities – Paras Bliss – that aim to provide ‘More for Motherhood’. Paras Bliss would encapsulate all aspects associated with the needs of every woman, an expecting mother and a new mom. The technology and medical expertise rich facilities would act as a haven for the neonates. Paras Bliss at Panchkula would be the first specialised mother and child care of the region.
Paras Bliss can be characterised as a one-of-its-kind chain of specialised mother and child care centres which has understood the needs, challenges and requirements of motherhood. With specialised programmes, we aim to provide personalised attention.
The urban areas have a number of nuclear families. As one gets pregnant they still look out for the support of their mother or mother-in-laws. Some are fortunate to receive their guidance, while some miss out on the same. Our aim is to create a holistic environment where every woman feels secure, welcome and heard. With Paras Bliss, we wish to evolve healthcare in becoming a part of the patients’ life – from trying to conceive, to pregnancy, delivery and post natal care. At the moment, Paras Healthcare is strictly focussing on its new chain of specialised mother and child care centres – Paras Bliss. The aim is to provide specialised maternity and neonatology care in areas where the same is deficient. Our flagship unit is coming up in Panchkula and it highlights the three tenets of Paras Healthcare – affordability, accessibility and quality. Keeping the same in mind, Paras Healthcare shall be expanding its footprint in six important cities of North India over the next five years.
What are the hospital group’s plans for this fiscal? What are the strategies to achieve them?
For setting up a new unit, Paras mainly adheres to the following tenets of healthcare – accessibility of healthcare in the region, presence of affordable healthcare facilities at the location and lastly, existence of a specialised quality healthcare provider. Paras Healthcare tries to address these aspects and provides healthcare facilities that can touch the lives of millions and improve the health infrastructure of the state/ region.
Today, healthcare providers have set up their best hospitals in metropolitan cities, leading to mushrooming of tertiary care providers. In India, where 70 per cent of the healthcare facilities are provided by private players, Paras aims at being the first healthcare provider to bring exceptional healthcare services to a region. Paras aims at bridging this gap in tier-II cities. Our healthcare delivery models are designed to cater to the common man. We believe in providing affordable tertiary care services, the best medical technologies and solutions at lower costs, making tier-II cities our obvious choice. We shall be focussing on providing healthcare in tier-II cities of North India. We are looking at cities with a population of more than two million supported by a medical college. It will help in ensuring a pool of medical professionals.
Five years from now, we will have a bed strength of 1500. This year, we expect to have the group revenue cross Rs 350-400 crores, and that should become Rs 1,000 crores within the next five years with additional beds, services and hospitals being added.
How will the funds be raised to achieve the goals?
The funds to propel expansion shall be part equity and debt associated. We are looking for stakeholders that match our mindset in healthcare growth and return on investment. As and when we find a partner whose expectations match ours we shall be open to equity funds. Moreover, we sincerely believe that healthcare is a long-term association. It is built on the strong trust of the doctors and the city in which it is associated, hence instant results in healthcare are difficult to achieve.
What are the major healthcare gaps in North India? How is Paras Healthcare contributing to mitigate these challenges
The most challenging aspect is to bring specialised, medical professionals and administrative staff, followed by acceptability as an exceptional tertiary care provider by the public.
The acceptance of costs associated with healthcare is also a major challenge. People usually accept spending the same amount at different cities, but they need to understand the advantage of the availability of specialised tertiary care services in their city, at their doorstep. Unprofessional approaches by existing small players are also an important challenge. Moreover, one has to run around for various licenses, approvals and sanctions. The government needs to streamline the systems and provide a one-window model to all healthcare providers. Moreover, when all the aspects and factors are clear the availability of suitable land and cost of real estate prove to be deterrents.
Paras Patna has been successful in overcoming all the major hurdles. Today, we are a well established and recognised healthcare provider with the largest employee base in the state of Bihar. We have also been successful in bringing medical professionals of repute back to their roots and provide state-of-the-art facilities and latest technology to the common man.
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