In a significant tie-up, healthcare major Wockhardt in association with the Government of Maharashtra will set up a superspeciality hospital which will be equipped with the state-of-the-art surgical and medicare facilities.

The 250-bed hospital will be located at Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital in South Mumbai and is a joint venture between Wockhardt (51 per cent) and the State Government (49 per cent) with funding assistance of the World Bank.

This tie-up marks the first move of the state government towards privatisation of its medical services. The state government plans to involve the corporate sector in other government run hospitals as well. Wockhardt’s Chairman Habil Khorakiwala, with the Government of Maharashtra, signed an agreement to this effect on Thursday May 10 in Mumbai.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh said this is the first step towards setting up of similar joint ventures over the state with the assistance of World Bank, which would make available funds of Rs 700 crore for Maharashtra Health Systems and Development Projects. Complimenting Wockhardt for joining hands with the government, he said the company is one of the most significant contributors in the healthcare field. "Indeed, this JV will go a long way in giving Mumbai one of the best superspeciality hospital services around,” Deshmukh added.

Chairman of Wockhardt Habil F Khorakiwala pointed out that the superspeciality Hospital is fully committed to provide excellence in Cardiology _ cardio-thoracic surgeries, Neurology, Neuro surgeries and Nephrology _ Urology. He said Wockhardt is committed to providing 10 per cent free treatment to the poor and needy. The Wockhardt SuperSpeciality Hospital & Research Centre will take 12-15 months to be commissioned, he added.

Wockhardt Hospitals also has a long-term exclusive agreement with Harvard Medical International, Boston, and USA; whereby Wockhardt has access to Harvard's expertise and experience in the field of surgical and medicare services, as well as in setting up and developing hospitals of excellence throughout the world. Wockhardt surgeons and paramedical staff will also benefit from Harvard Medical training and induction in critical surgical and medicare services at Harvard's institutes at Boston, USA, as well as at Wockhardt Hospitals.

Already, Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute at Bangalore and the Wockhardt Hospital & Kidney Institute at Kolkata have earned a name in the field of superspeciality hospitals in India, he said. The Bangalore unit has some unique facilities and services, some of them being the world's first. The Virtual Family Visit website permits a relative from any part of the globe to log on and communicate with his patient-relative, at the hospital. It has also recently introduced two more unique services: 'Life Link' - a service on their website, which allows on-line settlement of bills of patients admitted at the hospital by their relatives, anywhere in the world by using their credit card. Another service on their website called 'Health Angel' now allows children based anywhere in the world, to purchase and gift a cardiac check-up at the Hospital to their parents in Bangalore.