The Pathfinder

Dr Harish Pillai, CEO – Aster Hospitals and Clinics (India), Aster DM Healthcare, on creating Kerala's largest healthcare chain

- Rita Dutta

Aster DM Healthcare currently has 10 hospitals in India - four in Kerala, one each in Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka and three in Andhra Pradesh. The total functional bed strength is 3,845. The largest healthcare chain of Kerala, Aster DM Healthcare has two more Greenfield projects in Kerala in the pipeline, while the group is scouting for more projects to expand its footprint

You have been instrumental in making the Aster DM Healthcare a pan India brand even as the Cluster Head of Kerala. How did the group manage to create this colossal awareness within a few years of it setting up multiple units in India? 

The dream of our Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Azad Moopen, was to set up a healthcare facility in Kerala similar to the Mayo Model of care. Our flagship hospital in Kochi, Aster Medcity, which is a quaternary care centre, was conceived to demonstrate the concept and showcase our management ability, prior to expanding our footprint further.