The CDC Group, the British developmental finance institution, has invested USD 21 million in the Northern markets-focused healthcare services provider Asian Institute of Medical Services (AIMS).
 

CDC's long-term investment will support the hospital's five-year expansion into small towns in Jharkhand, Bihar and UP, where it will add 1,000 beds at the new and existing multi-specialty facilities. This expansion will create around 2,000 new jobs and deliver training and improved skills for nursing and paramedic staff in these cities, the hospital said in a statement today. The CDC Group, wholly-owned by the British government, invests in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with the aim of supporting economic development to create jobs.

CDC invested in the healthcare having backed Narayana Health, Rainbow Hospitals and Manipal-CDC Ventures in the last three years. Established in 2010, AIMS is a 775-bed hospital operator focused on bringing multi-specialty facilities including cardiology, oncology, critical care and orthopaedics to underserved cities in Northern and Central regions. The hospital currently runs three tertiary care hospitals at Faridabad in Haryana, Moradabad in UP and Dhanbad in Jharkhand), two secondary care hospitals in Yamuna Vihar in Delhi and Sambhal in UP; and three health clinics in Faridabad, Palwal in Haryana and Greater Kailash in New Delhi.

The company will add up to 1,000 beds through its existing facilities in Moradabad and Dhanbad and in new facilities in Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Our investment in AIMS will increase access to high quality care in poorer and under-served cities in northern and central India. It will also create many jobs and training opportunities in these cities," CDC managing director and head of South Asia Srini Nagarajan said.

Commenting on the investment, AIMS founder NK Pandey said, "we believe that quality healthcare is a basic need and it needs to be delivered closer to where there is need and not only in big metropolitan centres. We already have our footprint in small towns. "Our association with CDC is going to support us in expanding our services further in states like UP, Bihar and Jharkhand," Pandey added.