Manipal forays into healthcare retail

AHMEDABAD: The Bangalore-based Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) has announced its foray into healthcare retail with the launch of first of its planned 50 `Health and Wellness' centres here, which the group plans to take across the country over the next three years.

"Our centres which will operate under the brand name Manipal Cure and Care (MCC) and are a combination of both retail and heath care services," said Ranjan Pai, CEO, MEMG International India.

"It will be the first in the country to provide qualitative monitoring of healthcare, driven by well-trained doctors and paramedical staff," he said.

"In the retail section, we offer a mix of world class products in preventive, wellness and beauty care," Pai said, adding that they had tied up with leading brands like Bausch and Lomb, Colgate, Johnson and Johnson and others.

"In this fiscal, we are planning to set up about 10 such centres at a total investment of Rs 55 crores," Pai said, adding that each centre, including the one launched today at Ahmedabad, would cost about Rs 5 crores.

"The next centre will be launched in Bangalore in Septemeber and then we will open our centres in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and NCR (National Capital Region)", he added.

"In the next three years we will be opening a total of 50 such centres across India with an investment of Rs 275 crores," Pai said.

"A large part of our customers would be from the niche segment", the official remarked, adding these centres are ideal for a quick health check-up, counselling or beauty care, he added.