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Columbia Asia

Bed Strength: 100 secondary care & 150 tertiary care

Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal

Located on the outskirts of the city, Columbia Asia Hospital in Hebbal has literally ushered in international standards in healthcare. The 100-bed secondary care centre hospital, set up around a year ago, is promoted by US-based investors. This was perhaps the first healthcare group to tap the secondary care market. Now, the group is replicating its model secondary care in Whitefield, located east of Bangalore. "For this Greenfield project, the construction has already started and is slated for commissioning by 2007 end or early 2008," informs Chairman, Columbia Asia Hospital, Dr Nandakumar Jairam. And why a secondary care centre? "We have seen the success of this model in south-east Asia and we believe if it has clicked there, it will also work in India," explains Dr Jairam.

Like the swanky hospital in Hebbal, where beautiful Chinese paintings adorn the walls, soothing lighting comforts pain and the ceilings of the labour rooms are decorated with cute cartoons, the upcoming hospital would also look resplendent, warm and comforting, promises Dr Jairam.

"Our 150-bed hospital has also started and is slated to be commissioned by early 2008" - Tufan Ghosh CEO Columbia Asia

The group is also coming up with its first tertiary care hospital at Brigade Gateway, a 40-acre complex in Yeshwanthpur, west of Bangalore. "The construction work for our 150-bed hospital has also started and is slated to be commissioned by early 2008," says CEO Tufan Ghosh. Not keen on disclosing the cost of the projects, he says, "Both the projects will be funded by cent per cent FDI. We are targeting the middle income group for our hospital."

Pointing at patients from middle and lower income group flocking to the Hebbal Hospital, Dr Jairam said, "We don't turn away anybody." The new tertiary care hospital plans to have around 300 staff and doctors. The specialities to be offered will be anaesthesiology, cosmetic dermatology, dermatology, dental care, ENT, maxillo facial surgery, urology, psychiatry, vascular surgery, non-invasive cardiology, general surgery, GI, ophthalmology, onco-surgery, neurology and neuro-surgery. Like the Hebbal Hospital, the new hospitals would have a plasma TV in the sitting area of OPD to avoid queuing up and will provide scheduling and centralised medical gas system.

According to Dr Jairam, the uniqueness of Columbia Asia hospitals lies in re-defining the concept of care in hospitals. "A hospital is a hotel for sick people," he holds, adding, "We don't have any upfront payment in our hospital even for patients not covered by Mediclaim. The patient pays only after the treatment."

The hospitals would be paperless. "It would have tie-ups with foreign institutes for educational programmes," Ghosh adds.

Besides Bangalore, the group is eyeing both A and B cities in India. It has acquired land in Palam Vihar in Delhi for building a 100-bed secondary care centre. In the pipeline is a 100-bed centre in Mysore.