Fortis Hospitals in Bangalore is the largest provider of emergency healthcare services in the city with a current total intensive care unit (ICU) bed strength of 225. The ICU beds will be further increased with its new facility at Peenya for cardiology and oncology which will be commissioned in early 2011.

The ICU beds are located across the city at five locations at its facilities on the Bannerghatta Road, Cunnigham Road, Rajajinagar, Nagarbhavi and Seshadripuram. In addition, Fortis also has two patient out-reach centres at Marathahalli and Koramangala, making it to have a footprint across the city.

As the largest healthcare provider in terms of beds and medical expertise in the city, the strengthening of the emergency medicine wing will position it as a comprehensive and integrated provider of niche medical services, Vishal Bali, CEO, Fortis Hospital told Pharmabiz at the sidelines of the seminar on 'Healthcare and Emerging Technologies' organized by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The hospital major has also gone on to increase the number of beds taking the total number to over 1,000. While it is in the process of expanding the bed strength at the main facility on Bannerghatta Road from 400 to 600, at its centre in Cunnigham Road has also gone in for a refurbishment. At Peenya there is a Greenfield construction of 120 beds in joint venture with the Kirloskar Group for cardiology and oncology. With this, its presence in Bangalore will be across eight hospitals which include six associated centres and two information centres, he added.

Bali said that of the Rs 250 crore allocated to complete the construction of pending facilities of the erstwhile Wockhardt Hospital before the Fortis acquisition at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore are on course. These centres are expected to be commissioned between early 2011 and 2012.

Bangalore will be the second largest centre for care in terms of bed strength after Fortis Delhi where its presence in the National Capital Region is the highest.

"In Bangalore, we have completed the brand and employee transition at all facilities. Of the Rs 20 crore slated for Bangalore, Rs 5 crore has been invested into this corporate exercise of overall re-branding initiative," he said.

Now we are committed to a strategy focused on delivery of high quality care in chronic and emergency conditions with our medical expertise, state-of-the-art centres and equipment technology, said Bali.