Apollo Hospitals group is planning to invest close to ₹650 crore in West Bengal over a five-year period. Investments will come in the form of a medical college, a gastro-science and liver institute and its second hospital in Kolkata.

According to Rupali Basu, President and CEO, Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals, the ‘Institute of Gastro Sciences and Liver’ with 120 beds will be the first to come up.

It is expected to be set up at an estimated cost of ₹50 crore in the next six months. The cost will be funded partly by internal accruals and through bank loans.

“Our existing hospital here (on the north-eastern part of the city) has a 10-acre campus where the institute of gastro sciences and liver will be housed,” she told Business Line on the sidelines of a healthcare summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Apollo, Basu pointed out, is also on the lookout for setting up a super-speciality hospital – its second in the city – in the south-western parts. The second hospital will have around 200 beds and will come up at an estimated cost of ₹200 crore approximately.

“We would like to tap investment funds, PEs and VCs for setting up the second campus here in the city. Once the land is acquired, the hospital will come up in 18 months,” she added.

Medical college

The Apollo group will invest ₹400 crore in a medical college and hospital on a 14-acre plot at Batanagar on the southern outskirts of the city. The foundation stone for the medical college has already been laid by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The group has a similar medical college in Hyderabad.

According to Basu, the medical college will in the initial stages have an annual intake capacity (batch size) of 150 students. “The medical college is being set up by the Apollo Foundation (Apollo Hospitals Education & Research Trust),” she added.

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