Under its expansion plan, Apollo group of hospitals will be adding 11 new hospitals to its chain in the fiscal 2011, increasing the number of its beds by 2000. The expansion will also include an upgradation in the existing technologies.

Apollo at present has 50 hospitals in its chain with 8800 beds in these multi-specialty wings.

Chairman Pratap C Reddy shared that the group is facing a shortage of one lakh beds currently, all over the country.

“We are looking to add about 900 beds in the next six weeks in Bhubaneswar, Lavasa, Kolkata and Secunderabad’’, he said.

The upgradation of the technology will benefit the cancer hospitals, in particular, with technologies like Cyberknife and Novalis Tx coming in.

Apollo is looking forward to upgrade 4 of its 9 cancer hospitals, converting them into super-specialty hospitals. With this, a bone marrow transplant facility will also be enforced.

The expansion will come at a cost of Rs. 1800 Crore. An additional Rs 400 Crore would be endowed by the group for the upgradation of the technologies.

Under the expansion scheme, a stem cell bank is being established in Ahmadabad is for the cure of certain categories of cancer.

Reddy told the sources that Apollo has undergone agreements with five oversees hospitals for acquisitions within the next 3 years.