Manipal unit to invest US$100mil for expansion

KUALA LUMPUR: Manipal Health Enterprises (MHE), the healthcare arm of diversified Manipal Group, is investing US$100mil (RM327.75mil) over the next five years to expand its healthcare presence in Malaysia.

The Bangalore-headquartered hospital chain has acquired a 70-bed hospital in Klang, which also includes a 200-bed tertiary care hospital being built nearby.

Manipal is well-established in Malaysia with two campuses - medical schools in Malacca and Nilai.

MHE executive chairman Swaminathan Dandapani said the tertiary care hospital, on a 0.849-ha site, was slated for completion by end-2014. “This is in line with the company’s endeavour to provide ‘accessible and affordable’ healthcare services, while living up to its value of patient wellness and clinical excellence,” he told a press conference yesterday. The hospital will focus on a combination of wellness, prevention and curative care for both the domestic market and the emerging overseas patient traffic into Malaysia from neighbouring countries. – Bernama