DCA Unveils Expansion Plans

Sapna Dogra

Dr Ajay Aggarwal, Director, DCIHS

Diwan Chand Integral Health Services (DCIHS), a Diwan Chand Aggarwal (DCA) group company, the pioneer in imaging advancements is all set to expand in Delhi and NCR to create an organised chain of imaging centres. The company will launch six imaging centres in the NCR region and is looking at options in Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chennai and Bangalore.

According to Dr Ajay Aggarwal, Director, DCIHS, there is no organised imaging group in the country and hence DCIHS wants to create a niche. An investment of over Rs 150 crore would be incurred on expansion in the next five years, informed Dr Aggarwal. The funds would be raised through a mix of private equity and loans. The company would follow a Hub-and-Spoke model, which would have four high-end radiology centres, five mid-range facilities and numerous entry-level radiology centres.

Recently, DCA opened their first centre for NCR in Noida exclusively for women. "Women's health is of paramount importance and it is necessary to get them diagnosed on time because early diagnosis and right diagnosis lead to the right treatment," said Dr Aggarwal.

Imaging services at Noida is a comprehensive one-stop facility designed specifically for the imaging needs of women plus a holistic diagnostic and pathology centre for everyone. Plans are afoot for setting up similar centre at Gurgaon as well as at other areas around the capital as part of the expansion.

The Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI) and Shanti Mukund hospitals in Delhi have tied up with DCA for outsourcing of diagnostic services, which is the latest trend that is catching up fast with hospitals. This trend is mutually beneficial for the hospital and the diagnostic facility, according to Dr Aggarwal. "Setting up a good diagnostic facility is capital-intensive because the equipment is very expensive, hence, hospitals prefer to outsource their diagnostics," he added.

Tele-radiology is yet another important part of DCA's expansion plans in order to consolidate the services. "For this, we want to strengthen our IT services," said Dr Aggarwal. IT services include radiology information system, PACS etc, which would help in seamless integration of services in all centres.

Also, the Centre is planning to acquire a PET machine, which would cost about Rs 8.5 crore. Global health imaging market in 2001 was expected to exceed USD 14 billion, with growth expected to average seven per cent annually until 2007. Asian market approximately contributes 22.5 per cent to the total global health imaging market. The Indian imaging market is expected to grow from USD 350 million currently to USD 762 million by 2009 at a CAGR of 17 per cent.