Aster DM sets sights on pan-India expansion after merger with Quality Care
The Bengaluru-based hospital group aims to expand its footprint across the country and become a pan-India healthcare leader in the next ten years, said Moopen. However, even as the company explores further inorganic opportunities, it is treading cautiously.
'It has to make business sense…transactions are hard to execute because Indian markets have become so hot," said Moopen.
'But if there's a great asset at the right price…of course, we'll look at it," she added.
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The merged entity Aster DM Quality Care Ltd, jointly controlled by Aster's promoters and Blackstone, is in the fray for the acquisition of Canada's Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP)-owned Sahyadri Hospitals, according to media reports citing sources.
The Pune-based hospital has also reportedly received bids from Manipal Hospitals, Sweden-based investment firm EQT, and Malaysia-based IHH Healthcare.
While Moopen declined to comment on the Sahyadri bid, she said that Aster would focus on the brand, reputation, trust and valuation of an asset when evaluating an acquisition. '…for us, we are all about sustainable growth," she said.
Aster DM announced in late November 2024 that it was merging with QCIL in a deal that will value the combined entity at $5.08 billion ( ₹43,000 crore). The merger is expected to conclude in the next six months.
The deal catapulted the merged entity among the top three hospital chains in India by bed size. The combined entity will have 10,301 beds, doubling from Aster DM's current bed capacity of 5,159.
It also opens up new markets for Aster, which already has a strong footprint in Kerala and Karnataka, in new states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.
'The transaction is an inflection point for the organization, and it's something which we believe will really set us up to become the gold standard for healthcare here," said Moopen, adding that the hospital chain, which has its roots in Dubai, is 'probably one of the youngest [healthcare] brands in this country".
'We were spending a lot of time just setting up the core and setting the foundation. But now hopefully with this merger, we can really sort of have that exponential growth," said Moopen.
Expansion plans
The merged entity has plans to grow organically through greenfield and brownfield projects in south and central India where Aster DM and Quality Care have strongholds. The total planned bed addition is over 3,300 beds over the next three years.
However, growing pan-India and entering new markets is more challenging, said Moopen.
'It takes a good five to ten years to understand a new market," she said, adding that it's all about understanding regional nuances. However, making inroads through an already established player, via an acquisition or a merger, offers up an opportunity to meaningfully scale up in new markets, she added.
'When the merger was happening, that was one of the biggest advantages we saw. Because it opens up three, four new states for us," said Moopen. '...we said, this is great. We don't have to go in from scratch."
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The company plans to grow organically for the next three to four years in its core markets through strategic bed capacity addition, with a total capex outlay of ₹1,878 crore.
However, the company is already eyeing the North India market and hopes to start making inroads in the next two to three years.
'Whether we plan that organically or inorganically will depend on what happens in the next couple of years in terms of the opportunities that come up…we are evaluating all aspects," said Moopen.
The company plans to fund its organic growth through internal accruals, and will explore raising debt for its inorganic plans, said Moopen.
India's private healthcare space is seeing a spree of expansions and consolidation, with major competitors like Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare and Narayana Health announcing large expansion plans for the next four to five years. According to a 2024 report by HSBC Global Research, seven listed hospitals will add 14,000 beds over the course of 3-5 years.
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