Westminster Healthcare, a subsidiary of LycaHealth of the United Kingdom, will soon launch their facility in the city. The 11-floor facility in Nungambakkam includes a pharmacy and a crèche for children on the ground floor. With 30 consultation rooms, it offers patients not only exclusivity but also privacy, and dispenses with the need to wait in long queues to meet the doctor.

The centre will provide laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures, physiotherapy and rehabilitation therapy, diagnostics, including MRI and CT scans, and digital x-rays under one roof. A few years down the line, it plans to diversify into elder homecare too.

Manpreet S. Gulati, director and co-founder, said the aim was to cater to the top 2-3% of patients in the city. “We chose Chennai for its high level of integrity and since the eco-system was right, we are launching here,” Dr. Gulati said.

Apart from regular diagnostics, it proposes to offer doctor consultations and play concierge, arranging for hospitals for complex surgery or treatment not available with them, he said. Facilities that would be available include state-of-the-art day care procedure, consulting for dentistry, cardiology, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, bariatrics, neurosciences, respiratory medicine, general surgery and gastroenterology.

Sen Kandiah, co-founder and director, said the idea was conceived in 2001 but shelved as the ambience was not conducive then.

According to him, the atmosphere has changed considerably now. The facility plans to rope in doctors in the United Kingdom, who will consult via teleconferencing .

“More than 60% of doctors in the National Health Service in the U.K. are of Indian origin and they would like to transfer technology to India,” Mr. Kandiah said.

Westminster Healthcare also plans to offer insurance packages and already has around 100 members, Dr. Gulati said.

Article originally published in The Hindu