A fair bit of movement is happening in Mumbai’s healthcare landscape, which is set to witness leading private players with expansion plans worth thousands of crores. This will bring posh, state-of-the-art health facilities, increased bed capacity, and advanced medical technology to the city’s suburbs.
The city’s healthcare infrastructure in the southern region has reached a saturation point. Only last year, in a brownfield project, Breach Candy Hospital added an 11-storey building, increasing its capacity by 84 beds. The hospital also plans to redevelop its existing structures, further intensifying the concentration of healthcare facilities in the area with Jaslok Hospital next door.
“There is a lot of money involved, mainly because it is in south Mumbai. About 20–25% of our costs went into approvals—manageable for us, but not for most hospitals. Bureaucratic restrictions were a challenge. Initially, hospital heights were capped at 45 mt, later relaxed to 60 mt, and coastal proximity prohibited underground structures,” said N Santhanam, former CEO of the hospital, who was closely involved in the expansion.
Considering these factors, arrival of Apollo Hospital’s greenfield 500-bed facility in Worli, spread over 1.7 acres and costing Rs 1,300 crore, has drawn attention in the hospital market. In 2017, Apollo Hospitals aimed to expand into south Mumbai through a partnership with Masina Hospital to establish a 300-bed super-specialty centre under the co-brand Masina-Apollo, but the project never materialised.
A couple of years before that, the group established a 500-bed hospital in Navi Mumbai and has since developed a strong presence there. Apollo’s Worli unit is expected to become operational within four years. “We select locations after thorough deliberations and aim to provide high-end services with top-tier international and local doctors,” said Arunesh Punetha, CEO of Apollo’s Western Region.
Further north, industry sources suggest that Mahim’s PD Hinduja Hospital is planning to relocate its diagnostic services to create space for additional beds within the hospital. The hospital declined to comment on these plans.
Meanwhile, Bandra’s Lilavati Hospital is eyeing a neighbouring Mhada plot for a cancer centre; the plot currently houses a BMC building. “We’re in the process of obtaining permissions,” said Dr Niraj Uttamani, CEO of Lilavati Hospital. Mhada officials have said that no plans have been approved.
The ground-plus-two BMC building occupies 15,000 sq ft on the same plot. The civic body’s public health dept plans to utilise it for a dialysis centre & OPD services, with a tender floated for the same.
Health economist Ravi Duggal views the entry of many of these corporate hospitals as an alarming sign for affordable care even for the English-speaking middle class. “We can’t afford kind of costs associated with these hospitals even with insurance. Many public lands on which they will come up are already reserved for hospitals. They need to be used to develop public health facility that can benefit all classes but spending on healthcare has taken a hit. Suburbs are in dire need of quality public health infrastructure.”
On the other hand, MMRDA has 10,026.44 sqm land in BKC reserved for a hospital which it will likely lease to a private player in near future. While there is no confirmation of the same plot, Dr Tarang Gianchandani, CEO of HN Reliance Hospital, said there are expansion plans on the horizon for cell therapy and cancer care centres.
Further up the suburbs, Medanta Hospital, a prominent healthcare provider from Gurgaon, is set to make its long-awaited debut in Mumbai. This marks the group’s second attempt to establish a foothold in the city. In 2019, Medanta tried to make inroads into south Mumbai by partnering with Parsi General Hospital at Breach Candy to secure a 10-acre plot. However, the deal fell through.
Now, Medanta has successfully acquired an 8,859.24 sqm plot in Mauje-Oshiwara in Jogeshwari, through Rs 125 crore Mhada auction. The 500+ bed hospital is estimated to cost Rs 1,200 crore.
Not too far off from the area, Manipal Hospital has a brownfield project planned with acquisition of Khubchandani Hospital, Andheri (W), for Rs 415 crore. In Borivali, D-Mart promoter Radhakishan Damani’s foundation has planned a 400-bed hospital on 8.8 acres of plot worth Rs 500 crore.
“Land costs in the southern part of the city make expansion challenging. It is already congested and saturated with top hospitals. So more hospitals are now focusing on western and eastern suburbs where land costs are relatively less. It is for the better in a way because quality private healthcare is lacking in these areas,” said Dr Vivek Desai, founder of Hospital Management, Design and Planning Consultancy.
Both Medanta and Manipal are positioned in direct competition with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) which has 750 beds and is located in Four Bungalows — a few kilometres away from the two. However, for KDAH, the rise of new hospitals in the suburbs is not seen as a significant threat.
“The suburban population is growing, with more buildings and high-rises which is why there is a movement of corporate hospitals entering this part of the city. As a legacy hospital, we have a strong foundation serving patients from across the country and aim to continue building our brand and providing best services,” said KDAH CEO Dr Santosh Shetty.
