Narayana Hrudayalaya has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to set up a 5000-bed Health City in Ahmedabad at an investment of Rs 480 crore.

The facility will be built on a 37-acre area at the site of Monogram Mills in Bapunagar, Ahmedabad and will be Asia's longest hospital spread over half a kilometer, measuring 12.5 lakh sq ft.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Dr Devi Shetty, chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya, entered into an association and the pact was signed by Viren Shetty and the Gujarat government.

Under this agreement, Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City plans to invest Rs 480 crore and will begin operations with a 1000-bed heart hospital. This will be followed by cancer, kidney, neurosurgery and women & child welfare hospitals of 1000-beds each in subsequent phases. This will also include a nursing college and paramedical training centres to raise skilled manpower for this mega project. The management is aiming at an OPD load of 15,000 patients per day.

"The Health City will bring us a step closer to our vision of making world-class healthcare services and cutting-edge medical technologies available at affordable costs to the common man," said Dr Devi Shetty. "This project will also generate direct employment for 2000 people and indirect employment for 5000 people in the state."

Targeted to be commissioned by June 2010, Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City will offer cutting edge surgeries in paediatric and adult cardiac care at the doorstep of the people of Gujarat.

Founded by the Shankaranarayana Group of Companies, Narayana Hrudayalaya is one of the largest cardiac centres in the world with two heart hospitals in Bangalore and Kolkata that perform about 12 per cent of India's total heart surgeries. It has the world's largest Paediatric ITU attracting children from over 52 countries. With 1000-bed multi-specialty set-up, Narayana Hrudayalaya Bangalore has performed more than 35,000 cardiac surgeries and 40,000 catheterization procedures during the last seven years.

The hospital has a reputation of being Asia's first and only centre for Artificial Heart Transplant. It also runs the world's largest Tele-cardiology Telemedicine network in association with ISRO and has treated over 52,000 heart patients.

The hospital has also pioneered Yeshaswini, India's largest Micro Health Insurance Programme and the world's largest self-funded health insurance scheme for nearly three million farmers at a monthly premium of 10 rupees. This ensures cashless treatment in around 350 state-run hospitals in the country.

Apart from Bangalore and Kolkata, the group currently runs more than 16 hospitals in the country.