Apollo Health and Lifestyle (AHLL) is all set to expand its network by establishing 40 more clinics by the end of the current financial year. These proposed 40 clinics would be opened through the franchisee model. Already the company has opened three clinics through the franchise model, two in Delhi and one in Ahmedabad. In addition, it also looking at having presence in West Asia and Sri Lanka.

"We are following the franchising route as it is a viable option. It will enable exploiting the entrepreneurial abilities of owner - managers and achieve economies of scale through our domain knowledge and experience," Ratan Jalan, CEO AHLL told Pharmabiz.com.

AHLL is looking at Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai and Salem to open most of the clinics through the franchising route. The clinics would aim at providing better quality and standardized services apart from focusing on preventive healthcare. Patients can avail themselves of diagnostic facilities and there would be round the clock pharmacy too. It can be mentioned in the context, AHLL has already been able to make a dent in preventive health care segment especially in the corporate sector.

AHLL was formed as a subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals in 2000 after Arthur Anderson, appointed by Apollo to study the business potential of the clinics in the country, identified that there is an immense potential in the area of primary healthcare. Another finding in the report was that on an average, the families spend about Rs.300 to Rs.500 per month but were not able to access hygienic clinics equipped with proper infrastructure.