Avisena plans to open three more hospitals in five years

SHAH ALAM, Aug 22 -- Avisena Group aims to open three more hospitals, with the total capacity of 540 beds, offering a wide range of medical expertise over the next five years.

Its vice-president of finance and subsidiary operations, Ahmad Tazilan Mokhtar said two of the new hospitals would be built in the Klang Valley while another in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.

“We will expand the Avisena Specialist Hospital here by building a new 14-storey building next to it with the capacity of 140 beds. After that we will likely build a new hospital in Melawati, ​​Kuala Lumpur with the capacity of 250 beds.

“As for the planned Nilai hospital, it will have the capacity of 150 beds. However, the exact location has yet to be decided as we are still looking for the right location,” he told a press conference after the opening ceremony of the Avisena Women’s and Children’s Specialist Hospital by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, here today.

Avisena, which started as a two-storey medical centre in Section 9 here in 1996, now boasts two specialist hospitals in Section 14, namely the Avisena Specialist Hospital, which opened 11 years ago, and Avisena Women’s and Children’s Specialist Hospital which opened its doors in May.

The 118-bed Avisena Specialist Hospital has 54 specialist doctors while the 133-bed Avisena Women’s and Children’s Specialist Hospital has 61 specialist doctors.

Avisena also has a dialysis centre in Section 14 here which is equipped with 25 dialysis machines.

Ahmad Tazilan said with the opening of the new hospital, Avisena is confident of achieving RM225 million in revenue from the services offered at both hospitals.

Meanwhile, Avisena vice-president of operations Mazidah Umar said the opening of the new specialist hospital for women and children was to tap into growing demand for comprehensive health services for women and pediatric care.

“Previously, the bed capacity at Avisena Specialist Hospital could not accommodate the high number of patients. So we’d seen the demand there. Usually, when it comes to a women's hospital, the community will see it as a childbirth facility but in this new hospital, we offer more than that.

“Besides offering a comprehensive range of medical specialties related to women and children, the new hospital offers an exclusive boutique concept compared to other hospitals, as it provides more comfort to patients and their families," he said.

On competition due to the mushrooming of private hospitals, Avisena senior director of marketing and corporate communications Nor Hafidah Mustapha said Avisena's new facility offers a broader range of expertise.

She said the room prices at the specialist women's and children's hospital were worthy of the services and facilities offered, including an exclusive waiting area.

“For example, a pediatric laparoscopic surgeon at the hospital is one of three specialists in the field in the country.

"For mothers, who need a rest while caring for their sick children, the hospital provides a special rest room called Anjung Bonda, which is equipped with massage chairs, for them to unwind," she said.

-- BERNAMA