UK-based firm to set up Rs 125-crore hospital in Chennai

CHENNAI: Competition in the city’s crowded healthcare sector in the city is set to become more intense.

The United Kingdom-based Westminster Healthcare is to invest Rs 125 crore (15 million) in setting up a state-of-the-art centre in Nungambakkam that will have world-renowned doctors and best technology.

Making the announcement at a function her on Friday to mark Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, British Deputy High Commissioner to India Bharat Joshi said the UK was looking to cement ties further with India and more investments were expected.

The visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to the country last year had resulted in 1 billion worth of deals, more than a third of which came out of the diplomatic mission in Chennai, he said.

This, he said, was a reflection of how closely the two economies were intertwined. The UK was the largest G20 investor in India and in 2016 had issued 65% of work visas to Indias, he added.

Asked if Theresa May’s stand on visa would impact UK-India trade talks, he said statistics on trade and investment spoke for themselves. Britain was looking forward to the upcoming visit of Union finance minister Arun Jaitely, he said and hoped bilateral ties would reach a new high.