Fortis Health to add 600 beds in 6 mths

By Kaustubh Kulkarni

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Hospitals chain Fortis Healthcare (India) Ltd plans to add 600 beds in the country over the next six months and sees the hospitals business driving its growth in 2012/13 starting April, said Aditya Vij, chief executive for India.

The company operates 4,100 beds in the country at present, he said in a conference call on Friday.

Fortis Healthcare's December-quarter net profit was down 15.2 percent at 292.6 million rupees, the company said earlier in the day.

"The drop in profit is because of losses absorbed from our diagnostics business SRL (Super Religare Laboratories)," Vij said.

"... Our hospitals business continues to be profitable and will drive growth next year."

Fortis in April last year acquired 86 percent in group company SRL, which accounted for a loss of 77 million rupees in the December quarter, he said.

On its latest acquisition in Singapore, RadLink-Asia Pte, Fortis' Global Chief Executive Vishal Bali said the diagnostic chain was profitable and one of the largest there.

RadLink has annual sales of S$27 million and is growing 22 percent, he said.

Fortis Healthcare paid S$62.9 million RadLink early this month and the acquisition was done through its subsidiary Fortis Healthcare International.

Valued at $893 million, shares in Fortis Healthcare were down 1 percent to 107 rupees by 0735 GMT. The Mumbai market <.BSESN> was down 0.5 percent.

(Editing by Rajesh Pandathil)