Bengaluru-based cancer care chain HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG) is stepping up its expansion plans, targeting a significant capacity increase over the next five years, even as competition and capital flows intensify in the healthcare space.
The company plans to add at least 1,000 beds over the next five years, taking its total capacity beyond the current 2,500 beds, said Dr Manish Mattoo, CEO and Executive Director, HCG, to businessline.
Greenfield and brownfield strategy
The expansion will be driven through a mix of greenfield projects and brownfield additions. Around 400 beds are expected to come from new facilities, while the remaining 500–600 beds will be added by expanding existing hospitals.
HCG, which operates 25 hospitals across 19 cities, including an international centre in Kenya, has historically focused on expanding oncology access beyond metros, entering Tier-II markets such as Vijayawada, Vizag, and Bhavnagar.
Focus on Tier-II cities
This strategy is expected to continue, with the company identifying 12–13 potential cities, including Pune, Surat, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Coimbatore, for future growth.
Open to acquisitions
Alongside organic expansion, the company is also keeping the inorganic route open.
“We’re not ruling out mergers and acquisitions. Opportunities for standalone cancer centres or chains do come up, and we will actively evaluate them,” Mattoo said, pointing to private equity backing from KKR as an enabler for scale and consolidation.
Growth amid sectoral momentum
The expansion push comes amid a broader surge in investments and capacity creation across India’s healthcare sector, particularly in high-complexity areas such as oncology.
However, Mattoo emphasised that scale alone will not be the differentiator.
“Clinical differentiation and outcomes will be the real engine of growth. Scale becomes a multiplier only when that foundation is strong,” he said.