Business

Saturday July 4, 2009

Hospitals for Seremban, Rawang

By LEE KIAN SEONG


KUALA LUMPUR: Optimax Eye Specialist Centre Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Tan Boon Hock plans in his personal capacity to set up, via joint venture, two hospitals in Rawang and Seremban involving a total investment of up to RM52mil.

Construction and medical equipment costs for the Rawang Specialist Hospital were estimated at between RM35mil and RM45mil with construction expected to start by the third quarter, he said.

“This multi-discipline hospital will be owned and developed by Rawang Specialist Hospital Sdn Bhd,” Tan told StarBizWeek in an interview, adding that he would own a majority stake in the joint venture company.

He said 85% of the investment would be funded through bank borrowings and the balance by internally generated funds.

“This is an eight-storey building plus two-storey basement car park with a built-up area of 8,575 sq m. The total built-up area including driveway, basement and roof garden shall be 26,500 sq m,” he said.

The Seremban eye hospital will involve an investment of between RM5mil and RM7mil for construction and equipment costs, according to Tan.

“This is a joint venture between Hospital Mata Seremban Sdn Bhd and Negri Sembilan government,” he said, adding that the proposed stakeholding structure was 70% and 30% for him and the state government respectively.

The joint venture company would finance 80% of its investment through bank borrowings, Tan said.

Construction on the four-storey building with a built-up area of 2,270 sq m is expected to start by year-end.

He added that the objective of setting up the hospitals was to provide various disciplines on eyecare treatment and Optimax would provide services in these two hospitals as well.

On Optimax, Tan said the company currently had 14 outlets in Malaysia, two in Singapore and one in Brunei, and would consider expanding its outlet network.

The investment cost per centre is between RM2.5mil and RM3mil, according to Tan.

Optimax offers a range of options in laser refractive surgery and other eye treatment services, including Lasik surgery.

The company has done more than 65,000 laser refractive surgeries in Malaysia.

It registered a revenue of RM20.5mil last year.

“Refractive surgery is very common in Europe and in certain Asian countries but the nation is lagging behind due to lower purchasing power locally,” Tan said.

He said foreign patients accounted for 10% to 15% of its cases last year and the company would appoint more marketing agents overseas to bring in more patients.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story