Ms. Ameera Shah is the Managing Director and CEO of Metropolis Healthcare Limited a multinational chain of diagnostic centers. A successful young entrepreneur, she is highly respected in the healthcare world. She was also voted by Modern Medicare as The Young entrepreneur of the Year in India. Her leadership efforts in diagnostics have drawn recognition both for Indian Industry and Metropolis.
Shah has been elected the Secretary of the IAPL (Indian Association of Pathology Laboratories). Shah, who has recently been appointed as Co-chairman for FICCI Healthcare Committee, is lobbying with the Government for laying down standards for setting up diagnostic labs. “The fast expanding Indian diagnostic industry needs regulation. There are no set criteria in terms of infrastructure, technology, qualification, etc for setting up a diagnostic laboratory. The fact that anyone with money can open a diagnostic laboratory is dangerous. Diagnostics is an important part of healthcare and thus proper regulations needs to be in place, be it terms of regulations for opening a laboratory or mandatory accreditations,” feels Shah.
Shah received a degree in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and has been recently selected as part of the prestigious Owner-President Program at Harvard University. Under her leadership, the company has grown by leaps and bounds within a span of just eight years. When she had joined the organization in 2003, there was only one laboratory. Today, the group has 65 laboratories, both nationally and internationally. The turnover which stood at Rs 12 crore in 2003 has grown to Rs 250 crore in 2011.
Under her stewardship, Metropolis has evolved from its single pathology laboratory status in 2002 to a fully integrated multinational chain of 60 diagnostic centers across South Asia, Middle East and Africa in 2010. Using her deal-making abilities, the company has expanded at a scorching pace in India and has created substantial JV’s in Sri Lanka, UAE and South Africa. Under her leadership, Metropolis has become a well-respected healthcare brand, catering to more than 10,000 small labs, nursing homes and hospitals, over 20,000 consultants and processes more than 12 million test annually.
Her vision has been to change the dynamics of the industry, through consolidation and consistent innovation.
In the past 9 years, Metropolis has expanded into new service lines like Clinical Research, Hospital Lab Management and Wellness Solutions and is always exploring and adopting cutting edge new technologies and services that contribute new revenue streams and strategically position the company as a leader.
ABOUT METROPOLIS HEALTHCARE LTD
Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. was founded by Dr. Sushil Shah in 1981. Metropolis Healthcare is India’s only multinational chain of diagnostic centers across India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Middle East. It provides around 4,500 specialized tests under a single roof, ranging from oncology to genetics, molecular biology and immunoassays using best-of-breed and latest diagnostic equipment. Its services include Clinical Referral Laboratory (Over 4500 Tests) Hospital Laboratory Management, Preventive Health Checkups, Home Health Services, Site Management Services and Clinical Trials. It has accreditations such as CAP, NABL and ISO 15189. Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm, has recently invested up to $85 million in Metropolis Healthcare Ltd.
Commissioning New laboratories
Metropolis, which has been conferred with ‘Diagnostic Services Company of the Year’ by Frost & Sullivan for India Excellence in Healthcare Awards in 2010, has chalked out plans to roll out 10-15 green-field ventures centres, pan India. Says Ameera Shah, MD & CEO, Metropolis Healthcare Limited, “To be built at an investment of Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore, these new laboratories would add to our existing list of 65 state- of-the- art laboratories across India, UAE, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal and Mauritius, taking the total number to 80 laboratories.” This expansion is funded by Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm, which has recently invested up to $85 million in Metropolis. As of now, Metropolis with its 65 laboratories and over 550 collection centres, is a preferred referral centre for more than 10,000 laboratories, clinicians, hospitals and research institutions, across 125 cities India.
Metropolis also plans to augment its presence in UAE, Sri Lanka and South Africa, which have tremendous potential and also are emerging markets. The company is adding currently three new laboratories in Sri Lanka, adding to its fleet of seven existing laboratories in Sri Lanka. Around 20 percent of Metropolis turnover comes from its international business.
Other Growth Drivers
Partnerships/ acquisitions: Besides Greenfield projects, Metropolis is consolidating its presence through partnerships/ acquisitions. As of now, they have 14 such partnerships/ acquisitions, pan India. “We are in the process of acquiring four to five small laboratories in India, each with current an annual turnover of Rs 3-4 crore. We have earmarked 25 crore for these acquisitions,” says Shah, who has recently been appointed as Co-chairman for FICCI Healthcare Committee.
Augmenting Test Menu: Every year, Metropolis invests approx Rs 5-10 crore on R&D, cutting edge equipment and introducing new tests. This financial year, Metropolis has firmed up plans to add 100 new tests to its existing range of 4,500 tests. “These high-quality tests with accurate results would be at an affordable cost,” says Shah, who is lobbying with the Government to lay down standards for setting up a diagnostic lab.
Lab Management: Metropolis is also keen on taking on more laboratories of hospitals for management. “We are currently in talks with a few hospitals for laboratory management,” quips Shah. As of now, Metropolis manages 18 laboratories that are attached to hospitals.
Looking Ahead
For the financial year 2011-2012, Metropolis has set a target of Rs 350 crore as turnover as compared with the year 2010-2011, when Metropolis clocked a turnover of Rs 250 crore. “By the year 2020, the vision of the organization is to have a multibillion dollar market capitalization,” informs Shah. Fuelling this expansion would be its expanded workforce. From the current manpower strength of 2,500 employees, Metropolis would be adding around 300 additional employees, this year.