Fortis Healthcare to establish centres for mental health, eyes neuro-rehabilitation in India

Fortis Healthcare is set to broaden its scope to include mental health services and is considering a foray into neuro-rehabilitation, said Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO of the healthcare firm. 

The Indian healthcare provider believes addressing mental health, often overlooked in India, is crucial. Fortis intends to augment its existing outpatient-based mental health program by developing separate infrastructure to cater to individuals requiring institutional treatments.

"We already have a large out-patient mental health program," said Raghuvanshi. "However, we believe it is necessary to establish a separate infrastructure for those requiring institutional treatment," he said.

While Fortis has no plan to branch out to other sectors, it is adopting digital initiatives and considering home care as part of their services. "While we recognise that not every healthcare player has the aptitude to offer every kind of service, we find value in collaborations," said Raghuvanshi. "We currently partner with Healthcare at Home and Portea in various regions instead of trying to build every service in-house, he added.

A major part of the expansion plan is to establish centres for mental health and neuro-rehabilitation. The first two locations have been chosen - Gurgaon is set to open in six months and Mohali shortly after. The Gurgaon Centre is expected to have components of online counselling as part of its offering, the company said.

"The investment is relatively small as we operate on leased property," said Raghuvanshi. "We have committed Rs 10 crore for the first centre, and each successive centre is likely to cost Rs 4-5 crore. It's a gradual scale-up process,” he added.

Regarding Fortis's interest in neuro-rehabilitation, Raghuvanshi acknowledged the lack of players in this field despite its desperate need. "From joint replacements to injuries, trauma and more, we understand there is a huge requirement for rehabilitative services," he said. Therefore, Fortis is currently studying the landscape before making any firm plans, he said.