MANILA, Philippines - DM Healthcare LLC, a healthcare group based in India, is scouting for investment opportunities in the country.
In a press briefing yesterday, DM Healthcare LLC chairman Azad Moopen said the group is looking at several investment options in the health sector in the country.
“We could enter the healthcare sector by partnering with an existing hospital here and providing the fund for the expansion of the hospital,†he said.
He said the group could also set-up its own hospital here.
Another option the group is considering is starting a pharmacy chain or importing medicines from India.
“In the next three to six months, we are looking at what pilot we can do here. We want to understand the market,†Moopen said.
The group is considering making an investment in the country as Filipino medical practitioners account for 20 percent of its total workforce.
DM Healthcare LLC country representative for the Philippines Joyce Alumno said having a big organization like DM Healthcare in the country is a positive development with many Filipino medical practitioners working overseas.
“We want more healthcare companies and hospitals in the country to reverse the brain drain,†she said.
Former Health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan shared the same view as he said in investments in the health sector in the country have been low.
“We lack hospitals and clinics in the country,†he said.
“40 percent of the population has no access to pharmacy,†he added.
Consolidated under the brands Aster and Medicare, the DM Healthcare Group covers an array of healthcare verticals including hospitals, clinics, diagnostics and pharmacies.
Its network consists of more than 145 establishments in India and other countries in the Middle East including United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.