Fortis to re-brand 10 Wockhardt hospitals [The Economic Times, India]

Mar. 10--KOLKATA, India -- Fortis Healthcare has decided to re-brand the 10 Wockhardt hospitals it acquired last year under the Fortis brandname from April 1. The re-branding exercise will be followed by a heavy duty marketing and advertisement blitz in markets where the 10 hospitals are located. The change of brand name will also see Wockhardt hospitals adopting the business practices of Fortis.

Incidentally, Fortis Healthcare runs the acquired Wockhardt hospital business under a wholly-owned subsidiary -- Fortis Hospitals. Talking to ET, Fortis Hospitals CEO Vishal Bali said the re-branding would not merely mean a change of logo. "The re-branding will also mean that the acquired hospitals will adopt Fortis' service level and best practices. Some 3,800 employees of the acquired Wockhardt hospitals are also being sensitised about the Fortis brand to ensure smooth integration," he said.

Fortis has also put on fasttrack all the on-going expansion projects of the erstwhile Wockhardt hospitals in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. It expects to complete the expansion by this year.

The proposed expansion will entail an investment of around Rs 160 crore. In fact, all expansion projects were running behind schedule until Fortis acquired them. "The new Kolkata hospital with 400 beds will be operational by the third quarter of 2010," said Mr Bali.

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