Pharma, healthcare attract MoUs worth Rs26,000 crore at Vibrant Gujarat

National and international healthcare and pharmaceutical companies have signed 131 MoUs worth Rs26,000 crore.

The state government's health and family welfare department signed several MoUs with four international and 127 national companies in the field of healthcare and pharmaceuticals during the fifth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Of this, Rs15,600 crore will be invested in the healthcare sector and Rs10,686 crore in pharmaceuticals.

These MoUs include three for Medicity projects proposed by North-West Creative Team Pvt. Ltd, Shrinet and Shandiliya Construction Pvt Ltd, and Swas Healthcare Pvt. Ltd; and 21 for multi-specialty hospital projects proposed by prominent hospital and healthcare groups like Shalby Hospitals Pvt Ltd; Sanjivani Hospitals; Purohit Construction; Image Healthcare; and GVK, to name a few.

Five companies, including Netra Medlink, Dr Mehta's Hospital Pvt Ltd, and ML Charitable Trust, have proposed medical colleges with hospitals. Apart from these, 4 medical tourism projects, 1 nursing college, 1 kidney hospital, 2 health education and training institutes in paramedical sciences, 1 geriatric hospital, and other projects in public-private partnership have also been proposed.

These projects will add to the state's healthcare infrastructure with an array of tertiary and super-specialty hospitals. They will not only provide improved medical facilities to the people of Gujarat but also help transform the state into a fully equipped destination for medical tourism.

The MoUs promise an investment of about Rs15,600 crore in the health sector with 23 companies proposing an investment of more than Rs100 crore each for their respective projects. Three companies have proposed a total investment worth Rs9,900 crore. The state's health and family welfare department has accepted the proposals of 3 international and 38 national companies/trusts.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, 90 companies expressed interest in investing about Rs10,686 crore during the Vibrant Gujarat summit-2011. Around 21 companies with investment proposals worth Rs922.39 crore will be coming to set up new establishments. US-based companies like Acquiescent Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd; Amneal Lifesciences Pvt Ltd; and Kalintis Pharma Pvt Ltd intend to invest Rs574 crore.

Around 9 companies from other states of India are interested in investing Rs5,652 crore. Out of these, Nectar Lifesciences Ltd proposes to invest Rs5,000 crore. Prominent among other companies who have proposed significant investment are Ranbaxy Laboratories, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Dishman Pharmaceuticals Ltd, and Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

Incidentally, the department of health and family welfare had also signed on January 10, 2011, knowledge-sharing MoUs with 62 international and national institutions of global repute.