KPJ Healthcare Berhad

KPJ Healthcare on expansion trail

Business Times - the healthcare unit of Johor Corp (JCorp), plans to open at least two new hospitals a year to further strengthen its leading market position

Managing director Datin Paduka Siti Sa'diah Sheikh Bakir said the group is currently looking at various locations for the new hospitals, but no decision has been made.

"We will most probably build or acquire hospitals in places where we have yet to have any presence," she said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

She was speaking to reporters after a ceremony to solemnise CCM Bhd's sponsorship of halal pharmaceutical products to Waqaf An-Nur clinics throughout the country.

Siti Sa'diah added that the group does not have a specific budget for the acquisitions, but said it is only looking for standalone hospitals.

KPJ has 26 hospitals nation-wide, including the Bandar Baru Klang Medical Centre and the Penang Specialist Hospital.
"We are not talking with anyone at the moment. We are not in any hurry (to acquire), but we are ready to explore it anytime," Siti Sa'diah said.

KPJ is targeting a 10 to 15 per cent organic growth per year.
Siti Sa'diah said besides expanding its operations, KPJ was also in the process of increasing the capacity of its existing hospitals namely Tawakal, Ampang Puteri and Damansara.

"Our plate is full, but that does not mean we are not doing more. We have trained enough teams and I'm very positive that with all the committed team members, we can go further," she said.

On its deal with generic pharmaceutical manufacturer CCM, JCorp president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim, who is also Waqaf An-Nur Corp Bhd chairman, said CCM will sponsor halal pharmaceutical products worth RM100,000 to the clinics.

"For now, the deal is for a year, but we expect the partnership to last longer than that," he said.
In 2008, KPJ provided medical services to 1.96 million outpatients and 196,291 inpatients at its specialist hospitals nationwide.