BP Healthcare’s Target in Opening Four New Medical Centres During Year 2014
Daycare medical centre operator BP Healthcare Group has set a target to open four new medical centres this year, adding to its existing network of five centres – an exercise involving a minimal investment of over RM100 million.
The new openings are in line with the group’s aim to own up to 20 medical centres nationwide by 2018, said MD Dato Chevy Beh Yen San.
He said three of the new centres would be located in Johor with one more in Penang, with each of the mini hospitals to cost between RM20 million to RM50 million, depending on the location and size of the centre.
“We aim to grow both organically and inorganically. We are constantly on the look-out for possible acquisitions. Opening medical centres is not as easy as opening a retail outlet.” he told The Malaysian Reserve recently.
Beh said the daycare centres would after some time be converted into full-fledged hospitals, by only adding beds.
“We have advanced treatments and technology as well as similar safety specifications like the hospitals. Thus, we just need to add beds to our medical centres to make it a full-fledged hospital. Our long-term dream is to own and operate a chain of hospitals,” he explained.
Beh added that BP Healthcare is only 25% on its journey to become a public-listed entity, and that the healthcare group is not prepared in the near term to get listed in the stock exchange.
Going public means a company might need access to additional funds to expand. But so far, we are strong financially where we can fund our expansion via internally generated funds.
Established in 1982, BP Healthcare has gone through over 30 years of innovation and transformation. Today, the group has over 70 laboratories, 50 diagnostic centres, 50 hearing aids centres, 50 dispensaries and pharmacies, 50 food and industrial testing centres, five specialist daycare centres, three dental specialist clinics, and one eye specialist clinic.
BP Healthcare Group was founded in January 1982 by Beh’s father Dato Beh Chun Chuan and his wife Datin Poh Lay See.