Mumbai's RG Stone Hospitals to Grow DIH Presence to 30 by Year's End

Mumbai, India-based RG Stone Urology & Laparoscopy Hospital's (RG) chain plans to grow its presence to 30 locations using the Department in Hospitals (DIH) route.

Currently, it is present in 18 locations across the country, including six of its own hospitals.

According to RG Managing Director Manish Bansal, his chain plans to 'retail' healthcare in the specialization of kidney, gallstones and prostate stone removal and laparoscopic hernia repair. His chain ties up with hospitals that meet strict specifications and starts a department to cater to these ailments. RG uses the facilities of the hospitals in which it sets up DIHs for diagnostics and treatment.

Bansal spoke with me on the sideline of a press conference to announce successful operations carried out on three elderly male patients suffering from prostate enlargement.

Bansal has been quite aggressive in RG's mass media communications strategy. The chain holds check up camps at various towns and cities and offers free check-up and diagnostics. Treatment of ailments is charged. Generally the immediate conversion rate is 1 to 2 percent range, but after a three to six month period from diagnosis, this goes up to around 10 percent revealed Bansal. Free check- ups and diagnostics cost RG about Rs. 7 to 8 million annually. RG spends around Rs.35 million annually to announce its camps through local newspapers and scrawls on cable television. RG's revenues during the last fiscal were Rs.350 million.