Manipal Hospitals scouts for acquisitions in Andhra, Keralam, Delhi-NCR; bets on AI-led healthcare

As per the latest business developments, Manipal Health Enterprises Ltd is setting its sights on expansion in various states, including Telangana, Keralam, and Delhi-NCR, while pivoting towards a "physical plus digital" healthcare model fuelled by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The healthcare major is actively evaluating strategic opportunities in Telangana, Keralam, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh to selectively deepen its presence in identified markets, Manipal Health Enterprises stated in its annual report for FY26.

Manipal Hospitals keeps evaluate inorganic expansion opportunities across Karnataka; Maharashtra and Goa, including the Mumbai-Pune economic corridor; and Eastern India, comprising West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Sikkim, it stated.

A key pillar of its upcoming infrastructure is the greenfield project in Juhu, Mumbai. The group recently completed the acquisition of the remaining land and building for this project for a total consideration of Rs 495 crore, of which Rs 130 crore is payable subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions.

On the technology front, the firm is scaling a unified Hospital Information System (HIS) to link clinical, diagnostic, and administrative workflows across its network. Future investments are directed towards AI-enabled nursing handovers — already rolled out at 24 hospitals — and wireless patient monitoring platforms.

The group is additionally implementing call centre automation through AI-fuelled chat, voice, and omnichannel assistants to manage triage inquiries and appointments.

"The next phase of Manipal Hospitals' journey will be defined not only by the capacity we add, but by how effectively we harness the collective strengths of our people, clinical expertise, technology platforms and integrated network," stated Dilip Jose, Managing Director and CEO.

The firm's clinical strategy stays centred on "CONGO-R" — a cluster of six complex specialties, including cardiac sciences, oncology, neurosciences, gastro sciences, orthopedics, and renal sciences.

These specialties accounted for 64.3 per cent of gross inpatient topline in the 2025-26 fiscal year. To backing this, the group is investing in advanced medical infrastructure such as robotic surgical systems, linear accelerators, and PET-CT scanners.

This expansion trajectory follows a firm financial performance in the 2025-26 fiscal, where topline from operations grew by 25.4 per cent to Rs 10,336 crore, while EBITDA stood at Rs 2,644 crore. The year was marked by the successful integration of Sahyadri Hospitals in Maharashtra and Medica Synergie in Eastern India.

Regarding its long-term capacity plans, the group aims to add approximately 2,426 licensed beds by 2030, comprising 483 brownfield and 1,943 greenfield beds.

As of March 31, 2026, the network comprised 49 hospitals and 13,037 licensed beds across 14 states and Union Territories, serving over 76 lakh patients during the year.

The firm stated it further noted over 5,500 beds between 2020-21 and 2025-26. "It was the leading consolidator among private hospital chains in India by bed additions," the annual note stated.

"We enter the next phase with a larger and more integrated platform, clear execution priorities and a continued commitment to stay a trusted brand for delivering quality healthcare," Jose further noted.