UEM Edgenta to buy top healthcare facilities manager for RM565mil

Assunta Hospital officially launched its Heritage Halls and newly refurbished wards recently.

KUALA LUMPUR: UEM Edgenta Bhd is set to become the country’s biggest facilities management provider servicing the private healthcare and hospital segments through its proposed acquisition of Asia Integrated Facility Solutions Pte Ltd for S$185.9mil (RM565.2mil) in cash.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the asset solutions firm said Asia Integrated Facility Solutions owned indirectly UEMS Pte Ltd, the number one facilities management firm catering to those segments in the country.

Its clients in Malaysia include Prince Court Medical Centre, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Gleneagles Penang and Assunta Hospital.

UEM Edgenta, a core division of UEM Group Bhd (its 69.14% shareholder), said UEMS was also the leader in the hospital facilities management segment for public and private hospitals in Taiwan, servicing among others Saint Paul’s Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, Pingtung Christian Hospital and Yuan’s General Hospital.

It holds the number two position for the same segment in Singapore for the provision of housekeeping and patient management services. Their clients in the repubklic include Changi General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital as well as Sengkang Health @ Alexandra Hospital.

Overall, UEMS serves over 60 public and private hospitals, and 26,000 beds in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. 

“The proposed acquisition of UEMS not only allows UEM Edgenta to have a leading position in Malaysia’s private healthcare sector but we are also able to immediately establish our regional healthcare services presence in Singapore and Taiwan,” UEM Edgenta managing director and chief executive officer Azmir Merican said in a press statement.

UEM Edgenta’s gearing will increase from 0.24 times to 0.64 times after the proposed acquisition.

It said the proposed purchase was expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2016, subject to its shareholders’ approval at an EGM to be convened.